Phoenix: The Princess and The Heiress
by kittenshikon
Summary: The appearance of the Princess and the Heiress at the same time and place caused everyone in the ISN to be at constant vigilant because their appearance meant that it was about to get very ugly in Japan. One girl, who's identity will confuse many,has come
1. Prologue: Her Fight

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha and the rest of the Inuyasha characters, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Prologue: **

_Her Fight_

When they entered the organization and when they found out that they were to protect her, they never really knew how important she was to them until that moment that everything was about to be revealed. They never thought to ask their superiors on why they have to protect her and why they were the ones chosen for it, but now, as they stood in the sideline watching her. They finally realize how important her existence was and how mundane theirs were compared to hers. Then, why was it, that it was her that was in the midst of it all, fighting with everything she had to protect their mundane lives. Why was it that they, who were supposed to be the ones protecting her, were unable to move from their spot in the sideline as they watch her fight for her life and theirs? If they had only remained vigilant and if they had only trained harder, then perhaps, she would deem them worthy enough to fight beside her and protect her instead of the other way around. How could someone who was suppose to be the one being protected be the one protecting them?

Inuyasha looked down at the baby in his arms and could not help but to hug her closer to his person. His eyes traveled from the child to the woman in the battle field fighting him, he who had haunted them their entire lives and the person they thought they had gotten rid off. His anguished eyes lingered on the battered woman, who was fighting with everything she had to protect the future of the child within his arms. He only hoped that she would be successful for the child's sake and his.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "everything will be fine," were the murmured words sent his way by the hand's owner.

He looked at the eyes of the woman comforting him with a hopeful look and sighed.

"I know you wish you could fight alongside her like we all do, but as long as I, the heiress, have this sword, the princess will be safe and so is the child you hold in your arms," she soothed, her hand tightening their hold on his shoulder. She broke eye contact with him as her head snapped to the center of the plaza and her eyes narrowing in concentration, "and it is time I join this battle, my princess needs me." With those final words, she disappeared from his side and joined the battle that would decide it all and finally end the war that lasted over several millennia.

It was at that moment that the group of friends understood what the Phoenix, the Heiress, and the Princess stood for and their role in everything that had ever taken place. With it came the understanding that their existence were only there to serve as her strength. They just hope that she would not be sacrificed at the end of it all for the child's sake and Inuyasha's.


	2. Chapter 1: Higurashi Kagome

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or the Inuyasha charaters, they are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. The plot of this story, however, is mine.

**Chapter 1: **

_Higurashi Kagome _

Higurashi Kagome looked out the plane window, gazing thoughtfully at the clouds that were passing by. She was on a private jet (owned by the Higurashi family) on her way to Tokyo, Japan, her birthplace, and it was just that to her, a birthplace. It would not hold any special meaning to her memories for she had no memories of the place. All her life, she had never set foot on the soil of Japan and no matter how much she had wanted to visit; she was forbidden to, until just recently when her family deemed it safe for her to come back home.

Kagome was raised in London, England within the premises of a prestigious all-girls boarding school for the bright and rich protégés, at least, that was what people outside the ivy walls of the school were made to believe. They had no idea that the school, Cromwell Academy, was a school for spies, and not just any spies, but the spies of the Elite Division, the highest ranking spy unit in the world, and Kagome was the top spy and assassin of the aforementioned division. The people outside the walls of the school had no clue that the girls they thought were stuck up snobs from influential and wealthy families were actually people who were being trained to protect people around the world, including them, and that not every student was from a wealthy and influential family. In truth most of them was not.

Kagome sighed, _how I wished that there was nothing more to this sudden move to Japan, but alas, my destiny has called upon me once more and fate has set her course. _The young sixteen year old remained in her pensive stupor as she slowly dosed off to a dreamless slumber.

In Tokyo, Japan, Takahashi Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, Matsuda Sango, Suzuki Rin, Watanabe Ayame, Nishimura Miroku, and Ookami Kouga were in one of ISN's conference room of their headquarters. They were members of the International Spy Network. A sector of the government that was unknown to everyone with the exception of the Higurashi Family, who were the ruling family at the time. This sector was hidden for it involved magical beings that mortals did not know existed, and therefore more than half of the people within the network were either demons, mages, elves, or other such mythical creatures. There were a small portion of humans, but these humans were born with special gifts ranging from spiritual powers to knowing the ancient arts of fighting and history during a time when immortals and mortals coexisted.

The seven teenagers in the room were utterly confused. They had not expected for their superiors to summon their presences in the headquarters because they were given a month's worth of vacation.

Kouga sighed in annoyance; he was having the time of his life with a lot of girls surrounding him when he was called in to the headquarters. "Matsuda, any idea?"

The aforementioned young woman turned to the wolf-demon with a pensive expression. She stared at him while the rest of the group looked at the genius of the group, expecting an answer from the know-it-all, "No idea," was their reply from the girl with long ebony hair tied in a high ponytail and brown eyes while shrugging. Upon hearing her response everyone faked gasped, "Oh no!" exclaimed her friends, "quick! Pack up your bags, it's the end of the world!" followed by snickering.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Sango sent them poisoned-tip-daggers with her glare. She turned her back to them as they continued laughing like some foolish hyenas as she faced the window with a thoughtful expression settling over her features. Their superiors had never back out on their promises of vacation to their agents except when there was an emergency, _so what is so important that they had to call in everyone who are suppose to be on vacation starting today, _she mused. _There has to be something of great importance that's going to happen. _She was interrupted in her musings when she heard her friends' continuing laughter behind her. Sango rolled her eyes, _stupid idiots, even Ice Prince Sesshomaru is snickering. _"Nishimura," called out Sango with her back still facing her comrades.

Everyone instantly stopped laughing after noting the seriousness in Sango's voice. "What's up?" Miroku raised his brows in question.

"Did you feel anything unusual this morning?"

"No, why?"

"Nothing, it's just a hunch, but I think that something very important is going to or had already taken place. And I just thought that you might have felt it seeing that you are the only one in this room who has spiritual powers."

"What does having spiritual powers have anything to do with us all being here?" queried Rin in confusion.

Their conversation was halted when the door to the room opened causing the teenagers to face the door and to stand up straight. Three men and an old woman entered in their gallant suits. Just basing on the way they held themselves, it can be easily assumed that they were men and woman of great respect. The way they walked in the room was very commanding in itself. They covertly surveyed the teenagers in front of them with critical eyes as they continued their trek towards their seats. "Takahashi-san. Akuma-san, Takumi-san, and Tsuki-san," greeted the teens while bowing from their waist.

The adults returned the bow before walking over to the long table on the other side of the room. The only woman sat at the head of the table while the three men sat on either side of her with two on her right and one on her left. It was then that Sango and the others realized that there were folders on the table in front of eleven chairs. Tsuki-san, the woman with long gray hair and an eye-patch on one of her eyes motioned for the teens to sit down. The seven teens obeyed and pick one of the seats that had a folder in front of it. Once they were seated, Tsuki-san stood up and said, "All of you may be wondering why we summoned you here today." The teens nodded their heads even though there was no need to. "We called you here today to inform you that the enemy had begun their move. I assume that you know what this means?"

Five out of the seven teens were staring at Tsuki-san bemusedly while Sesshomaru and Sango stood up even straighter on their seat, if that was even possible. _No way_, were the thought running through their minds.

"Matsuda, explain," commanded Tsuki-san.

"It means that the princess aka the Shikon is in great danger," explained Sango without looking at any of her colleagues. Gasps were heard from the other five as their brains finally caught up to what was happening, "which means that from now on, our first priority is to find her since we are, after all, her sole protectors."

"You're telling me that we are in charge of protecting the princess?!" exclaimed Miroku in delight as stars seemed to sparkle in his eyes. _Typical Miroku, _the others just rolled their eyes.

"Indeed, but if anything, anything at all, happens to the princess…" Tsuki-san trailed off as the teens gulped.

"We shall have your heads," continued Akuma-san, a man with dark hair and azure eyes. He was the youngest of the Commanders and was rumored to be the best during his days as a crusader. "Understood?" His eyes narrowed and if looks could kill, the teens would already be six feet under.

"Yes, sir," murmured the teenagers.

"Another thing," started Takahashi-san, a dog-demon with long silver hair that was tied up in a high ponytail, golden eyes, and markings on his face. He was Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father and was very well-known in the secret world. "Someone from the Elite Division is coming and joining us for this war, and this person may even be the one leading all of you. It all depends on what he/she was ordered to do."

"What?!" exclaimed Kouga and Inuyasha while rising from their seats; both of them were growling. Even Sesshomaru had to refrain himself from shouting. "I will neither follow someone who I find weaker than me nor will I let anyone from that division be my leader!" growled out Kouga while Inuyasha nodded quietly. Ayame and the others felt the same way but were not brave enough to shout their opinions, and Sesshomaru had an image to uphold.

"Silence!" commanded the four elders. Their voices resounding throughout the room while their glares became piercing, "we will not hear of this."

"As obnoxious as the Elite Division may seem to be to everyone around here, you do not know if they are snobs, as you put it for none of you have ever worked with them. You have only heard of rumors, and rumors are not always true, as most of you know. Now, this person that they are sending over here in Japan is someone to be respected and viewed as your superior no matter how old he or she is for this person's training was far more intense than any of you had ever went through," explained Tsuki-san sternly. Her one eye challenging them to disagree with her, "I have also heard that unlike all of you, including the others who are not here for this meeting since it does not concern them. This person that they are sending over here has never ever failed a mission and had always triumphed over everything he or she does. I will tell you not to underestimate this person but I do have doubts that this information about him or her not failing a mission is in fact, true."

"Indeed," said Akuma-san, "since the commanders of that division can sometimes be too carried away with their boasting." Takumi-san and Akuma-san chuckled but Takahashi-san and Tsuki-san, who had been in the network since their early days, remained silent for they knew something that the others do not.

"Wait a moment," said Ayame, a beautiful she-wolf-demon with long red hair that was tied in pigtails and emerald eyes, finally spoke up.

"Yes?" prompted Takahashi-san, his eyes zeroing on the young wolf-demon. His searching gaze making the teenage girl uncomfortable.

Ayame gulped before continuing, "I noticed that you've been talking about whoever this person is as though you do not know who the agent is or that you know anything about the agent at all since you don't even know the gender of the person."

"Very observant, as always, Ayame," praised Tsuki-san causing the girl to flush a little at the compliment from one of their superiors. "That is quite true. The reason for that is the fact that the Division didn't want to tell us anything saying that we shall know when the person gets here. They only told us that the person's codename is Phoenix."

"Isn't that against the rules?" asked Sango bemusedly.

"Yes," answered Akuma-san, "but those rules doesn't control the Elite Division since they are the half where the spies and everyone who work under it are not expected to abide the laws for they are not under any law."

"You mean they can do whatever they want to do?" asked Rin. The four leaders only nodded causing everyone in the room to protest against the injustice of it all.

"SILENCE!" boomed Takahashi-san, "I will not hear anymore of your bemoaning about how unfair it is. The truth of the matter is, the only ones who are not required to abide by the law from the Elite Division is someone with an unlimited license and I believe there is only one person in this generation who has such power."

"May we ask the person's identity?" queried Sesshomaru. "Does that also mean that whoever is coming down here is under the laws and must follow them?"

"We do not know the person's real identity other than the fact that the agent they are sending is the one who has the unlimited license." Upon hearing this, the group of teens gasped. "Indeed and the reason for the Elite having an excuse not to follow the rules is because the agent with the unlimited license had ordered them to do these actions."

"Hmm…" murmured Sango as she lost herself to her line of thoughts.

"When is this agent arriving?" asked Rin with curious eyes trained straight at the only female leader in the room.

"No clue, as we told you before we didn't get any information about this Elite agent from the Elite Division beside the fact that this particular agent will be helping us with this case and something to do with protecting," said Akuma-san. "They said that the agent will report here whenever they deemed necessary, but for now the agent will be working in the shadows." This troubled the teenagers since they have never in their lifetime ever faced anyone from the Elite Division, therefore, making it harder for them to know how they should act with this new agent. They didn't even know if the agent was their age or not nor did they know where this person will be coming from. This caused all of them to sit on their seat in a pensive stupor while the adults looked at the teenagers in amusement.

They have never seen this group of kids this serious and troubled before, so it was amusing to see them acting in the same manner without any of them noticing. Their faces were quite amusing to look at with glazed over eyes, making funny faces and the anxious movement of their hands and feet. "I believe this shall be their hardest mission yet, which clarifies the coming of the Phoenix," muttered Tsuki-san so that only the adults were able to hear.

"Indeed," agreed the other three leaders as they prepared to leave the room after glancing at the pensive teens.

A white stretched limousine can be seen parked in front of the entrance of the airport with two women dressed in black suits and sunglasses over their eyes. They were leaning against the vehicle while looking straight ahead. The way that their heads move this way and that indicated that they were looking for someone, who? No one knows.

They were looking someplace else when they were caught off guard by a black and white blur as it glommed them. They were confused at first until they heard the angelic voice of their young mistress, "I've missed the two of you."

"We've missed you, as well, Lady Kagome," said Veronica. Kagome frowned when she heard what they address her as. She did not like being called anything that would make her seem superior to someone especially if that person is older than her. She had tried many times to tell everyone who worked for her family to drop the titles and just call her by her first name and they had all refused saying that they wanted to call her that not because they viewed her differently from any of their close friends but because she deserved to be called that. She eventually conceded though she would frown at times causing those who calls her so to smile in amusement.

"Yes, I know, you shall not oblige my request of only calling me by my name," said Kagome with a pout while letting go of her bodyguards, who were both looking at her with amusement glinting in their eyes.

"Very well, young miss," said one of them, "your grandfather, the high lord, wishes for you to be at the manor as soon as possible." Kagome nodded her head to show her understanding before slipping inside the limo with her bodyguards sitting on either side of her. No words were exchange on the way to the mansion as all three ladies were lost in their own thoughts of what may happen now that Kagome had returned to Japan.

"Wait a moment, Dianne," said Kagome, shattering the silence within the car, "but as I remembered correctly, I am expected to arrive at my new school within the next half an hour." At this news the two bodyguards seemed to snap out of any of their thoughts as they stared at their young mistress with full attention though the question in their eyes were utterly obvious.

"How is it that we have not been informed of this?" asked Dianne, the one sitting to her right.

"Surely my grandfather have informed you of this," said Kagome with confusion evident in her eyes, "after all, he was the one who deemed it necessary that I present myself at the school I shall be attending immediately."

"Very well," said Veronica, her other bodyguard, "I am going to call your grandfather and ask him about this."

"I understand," answered Kagome. As Veronica spoke to her grandfather on the phone, Kagome resumed her train of thoughts while Dianne told Tammy, the chauffer, to head to the school. Once Veronica finished talking with Higurashi-san, they found out that Kagome was indeed told to head to the school because the principal had requested for Kagome to be there as soon as possible in order to have everything that was necessary in protecting the heiress ready before anyone found out that the heiress was back.

Many students of Crystal High were sitting within the courtyard including the ISN spies. They were sitting under one of the biggest Cherry Blossom tree at the school that was currently bare of any blossoms since it was the winter time. While Inuyasha was lying down on one of the branches of the tree, Miroku was busy talking to Kouga about girls and of how lucky they were to be able to guard the princess, who was sure to be very beautiful. Ayame, on the other hand was busy observing everything around her including her companions while she was talking with Rin about their recent talk with the elders. Meanwhile, Sango was leaning against the trunk of the tree as she read one of her books with Sesshomaru not too far away brooding about having to follow under the orders of an Elite brat.

All their morning pleasantries were interrupted when the school gate opened, which was unusual seeing as it was already pass six and the big gate was usually close by that time. They were even more confuse when a limo entered the premises and stopped near the cherry blossom tree that the spies were residing. All of them were in attention as the door opened and they suddenly recognized who it might be. Seeing as two female bodyguards step out of the limo with the insignia of the Higurashi crest on their clothes, "I wonder which Higurashi is coming to our school today?" said Ayame with a thoughtful look.

"And what is their business here?" added Kouga in a gruff voice, "and why'd they come with only two guards with them?"

"It couldn't be Higurashi Souta," said Sango. "I mean he's way too young to be in high school."

"Indeed," murmured Sesshomaru as they continued to stare at the limo waiting for one of the members of the Higurashi family to get out. One thing was for sure, everyone in the courtyard had their attention on the limo and the person inside it.

Inuyasha and his team had been called more than once to help guard the Higurashi family whenever they were to be presented in public, but to think that the family had sent one of them or maybe even more over to their school with only two guards were causing them to be puzzled, and they didn't even hear anything from the headquarters of who it might be.

Their questions were soon answered when a beautiful girl with long raven hair and amazing brown eyes stepped out of the vehicle wearing their school uniform. The girl paused as though she had sensed something and then shook her head before continuing to the Principal's office.

"Who is that girl?" asked Miroku with sparkles in his eyes. While the rest of the spies were wondering about who that was, Sesshomaru was holding down a gasp as he saw who it was. After all, he was one of the spies who had guarded the girl when she was merely a baby. _What is she doing here already?_ He thought with concern.

"That is the heiress to the Higurashi Empire," said Sesshomaru as his eyes darted every which way to make sure that nothing bad will befall on the girl since it was part of his duty to protect her ever since she was born, "Higurashi Kagome." It was an order from the ISN that the girl be protected at all times and if he had to have two missions at once, then so be it, because Higurashi Kagome was just as important as the princess they need to look for.

"What do you mean heiress?!" hissed the others with raised eyebrows. "We thought Souta was the heir!"

"No, the true heiress was sent to London to study and to be protected from the threat that was sent to the Higurashi family when she was born, but now that she is back and with the princess suddenly appearing we must be on guard for anything because it's about to get really bad here in Japan." With that said Sesshomaru stood up and headed back to his classroom. Not a moment too long, the bell rang causing everyone to scramble to their feet and ran to their classrooms for their first lesson of the day. All the gates were closed as everyone who was late headed home to get a note from their parents in order to get in.

As Inuyasha was sitting on his seat during his first period class waiting for their teacher to arrive, he could not help but think back to the Higurashi heiress. She was really beautiful, but that was not the only reason why he was thinking about her. Somehow, the moment he laid eyes on her, he felt some form of familiarity from the aura surrounding her, but that was impossible because he had never seen her before, and what was that feeling of protectiveness he felt when he saw her come out of the car. It was really weird, even his brother was acting differently when he saw who came out of the car. His eyes, which were usually so cold, turned soft, if only for a moment, and he could have sworn that he saw concern flash through his eyes. What was so important about the Higurashi heiress? Besides the fact that she was the heiress of the Higurashi Empire, and why was it going to be a bad thing that the heiress and the princess was about to be at the same place at the same time. As far as he was concerned, there was no real connection between the two of them, unless there was something that his brother knew and the rest of them did not, which was highly likely because his brother had known about the girl's existence when the rest of the world did not know about her until her appearance that afternoon. If the many reporters outside the school had anything to do with it, the whole world would find out that Higurashi Souta was not the first in line to the Higurashi fortune.

Meanwhile, Kagome was standing outside a classroom with her back leaning against the wall with a thoughtful expression, _they are here, _she thought, _this will prove to be entertaining, _she smirked, _and they seem to not notice my presence, which is understandable since I do not want them to, but it will bode a problem when we face __**him**__._

"Hello," said a female voice not too far from her. Kagome frowned when she realized that she had let her guard down. No one was supposed to be able to sneak up on her like that, but here was a teacher, who had managed to escape her senses as she walked up to her. She has to stop letting herself get in too deep in her thoughts once again.

"Hello, ma'am," greeted Kagome with a cheerful smile completely covering the fact that she was startled by the woman in front of her.

"Why are you out of class?" asked the woman.

"I was told to wait out here by the principal," answered Kagome, "I was to wait for my teacher to introduce me to the class."

"Higurashi-san?! Pardon me!" exclaimed the lady in shock while bowing over and over again. She could not believe that she would be teaching one of the Higurashi, she just hope that the girl would not be a snob like the rumor being spread in the rumor mill the moment the principal told them that the heiress would be attending their school.

"There is nothing to be forgiven. After all, it is part of a teacher's job to question a student when he or she is not within a classroom when the bell has rung, is it not?" With that said, Kagome smiled at the teacher, who was just gaping at her. The teacher could not believe how nice and polite the girl in front of her was when the heiress bowed to her and said, "hello, I am Higurashi Kagome, it is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh! Well, it is a great honor to be teaching you, Kagome-ojou-sama," said the teacher, "I am Okari Mei, your advisor and history teacher. Now, if you would follow me so you can meet your classmates."

Inside the classroom, Inuyasha and his friends with the exception of the seniors, Sesshomaru and Kouga, were quietly wondering where their teacher had went. It was a mystery in itself seeing as their teacher was never late, it was a given fact that Okari-sensei does not tolerate tardiness and for her to be late was very questionable. "She's outside," informed Inuyasha to his friends, "I think she's talking to someone, but I can't really hear anything that they're saying because of all the noise over here and this stupid charm."

"Oh, I see," replied their companions.

"They're coming in," whispered Inuyasha as he sat up straight on his seat followed by the others.

As soon as the door opened, everyone in the classroom shut their mouth and proceeded to stand up and bow to the teacher after the prompting of their class president, "Good morning, Okari-sensei!" they greeted.

"Good morning!" replied the teacher with a smile on her face. She motioned for them to sit down and that was when they noticed the gorgeous girl standing next to the teacher as she looked around the classroom in curiosity, or so they thought. The truth of the matter was, Kagome was actually observing the entire room and taking everything in and storing them in her memory just in case something unexpected were to happen while marking the ISN spies that were in the room. That was one of the rules that you must follow as an Elite spy: always know your surroundings. _Hmm…interesting,_ she thought as she smirked inwardly, _it seems that they would be in my class, at least five of them are_. This cause her to smile brilliantly on the outside completely enrapturing everyone in the room by her smile. She tuned out everyone else as they started whispering about her and wondering if she really belonged to the famous Higurashi family.

"Please introduce yourself," requested the teacher as she told the class to quiet down so Kagome could speak.

"Hello, fellow pupils," started Kagome as she turned her attention to everyone in the room. She turned to the board behind her and wrote down her name which caused some people to gasp in the room. Once done, she turned back around and bowed with a smile on her face, "I am Higurashi Kagome, and it is a pleasure to be your acquaintance."

"You may be seated in front of Takahashi Inuyasha." _This will be interesting, indeed, _was Kagome's last thoughts when she saw the raven-haired teenager raise his hand with a bored look on his face. _Takahashi Inuyasha, youngest son to Takahashi Inutaisho and Izayoi, leaders of the secret organization ISN, a half-demon with silver hair, amber eyes, and dog-ears atop his head. His strength rivals those of the highest ranking demon, mostly his brother's. Very talented with a sword, especially the Tessusaiga, the blade of the mortal world. _ This was what was going through Kagome's mind when she heard who was going to be sitting behind her. While she was walking towards her seat, her eyes met with another pair of brown eyes, brown eyes that were studying her, she may think that she was being discreet with her observation like the rest of them, but they were far from it. Kagome inwardly smirked again, she raised her eyebrow at the girl, which caught her off-guard, the girl shook her head, and when she turned to look at Kagome again, Kagome was not looking at her anymore, making her think that she had imagined the smirk that she had seen on Kagome's face. _Matsuda Sango, the brains of the group, very talented with the Hiraikutso, trained in the way of demon slayers. Has brown hair and eyes. Very good in several forms of hand-to-hand combat and several weapons that are used by demon slayers. _Her eyes traveled to the girl behind Sango, who was going to be on her right once she sat on her seat. _Suzuki Rin, innocent but deadly, a very accurate marksman when it comes to daggers. Takahashi Sesshomaru's future girlfriend and mate, he just doesn't know it yet, _Kagome almost laughed out loud, after thinking this. If she had anything to do with it, those two would be a couple before everything start being serious, _raven-hair and brown eyes, trained in the ways of the ninjas, very sneaky. _Before she sat on her seat, she looked at Nishimura Miroku as she sized him up like what she has been doing to all of them without them noticing it. _Nishimura Miroku, a young perverted monk, has a wind tunnel on his right hand that can suck up anything in its spot, the only one with spiritual powers in his group, very good at fooling people and getting his ways, a con artist, well-trained with a staff, very knowledgeable about artifacts and history. Raven-hair and purplish eyes. Must remain a couple feet away from his wandering hands. In love with Matsuda and not afraid to show it. _She finally sat down, but before turning her attention to the teacher, she let her eyes land on the back of the head of the person sitting in front of her, _Watanabe Ayame, a white wolf-demon, princess of her tribe, with red hair and emerald eyes, has a great speed like Ookami Kouga, Skilled with a Naginata. Future girlfriend and mate of Ookami Kouga, who is a fool for not seeing a great girl in front of him. _After ending her observation, Kagome came to the conclusion that they were good enough to be in her team. When compared to everyone in the Elite Division, this people can handle themselves when it comes to fighting them. Too bad that she was the only one left of their Division after that day, but the ISN division did not know of it yet. _If they want to face __**him**__ and protect me and her, then they need to improve much more than they are now. _

Meanwhile, while Kagome was walking towards her seat, the ISN spies were also sizing her up. They must admit that the girl was very pretty, if not very fragile-looking, if only they knew. She was very graceful and dainty in her every movement. In fact, it looked like she was floating towards her seat instead of walking towards it. And Inuyasha has to admit, that her scent was very nice and calming, the scent of cherry blossom and lavender. It had been a long time since he had smelt something so relaxing, but there was definitely something weird about her, he just cannot seem to put his finger on it, but he would find out what it was if it was the last thing he did.

The bell for lunch to begin had finally rang, and due to the cold weather outside and not wanting to freeze in the cold weather, every sane person in the school decided that they would either eat in the cafeteria or their classroom. Inuyasha and his friends were going to the cafeteria along with everyone else in the room with the exception of Kagome. The only reason that Inuyasha got up from his seat was because he and the others always eat together with their friends including his brother and that stinking wolf, they may be friends but he would not call him his very best friends, seeing as they disagree on most things, and their huge egos had not helped the matter at all. Both refused to accept that the other was better at something.

Inuyasha sent a backward glance towards the girl sitting alone on her seat with a pensive look on her face as she looked out the window before leaving the room with his friends. Even that last action was questionable to him. He usually cared less for any new students or for anyone at all besides the people he considered as friends or the people related to him, but why did he glanced back at the Higurashi girl? There was just something nagging him at the back of his mind that he knew who this girl was and that she would become important to him sometime during his lifetime, he just didn't understand the reason behind it. Being the last one to leave the room told him that she would be alone in that classroom. It was very strange, really, he would have thought that everyone in that room would have rushed to the girl in order to invite her to eat lunch with them seeing as she was one of the Higurashi, one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest, family in Asia. She seemed nice enough to be able to make friends fast enough if she really wanted to, and she did not seem shy when she introduced herself in front of the class earlier. If the confident tone she was using while introducing herself was any indication.

"Oi! Inuyasha!" yelled Miroku towards his best friend, who seemed to be off in dream land, which was very uncanny because Inuyasha was not one to space out when food was involved. He was even sure that his friend did not realized that he had paid for his bowl of ramen and was now currently sitting in front of him, untouched. An even unusual event due to the half-demon's love for ramen, which he usually inhales the moment he got it.

"What?!" snarled Inuyasha while looking around the table, realizing that all of his friends were looking at him as though he had grown a second head. "What the hell are you staring at?!" He all but bit Miroku's head off, who was nearest to him. The others turned away with the exception of Miroku. Though their heads were turned, Sesshomaru and the others were still paying attention to the conversation between Miroku and Inuyasha. Sesshomaru would be caught dead first before he admitted that he was concerned about his brother.

"Are you sick?" questioned Miroku motioning to put his palm on his friend's forehead, only to almost have his hand bitten off by the snarling half-demon.

"No!" Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away.

"Then why haven't you touched your ramen?"

"So? Well Miroku…when someone is not eating, they're usually not hungry or they have something else on their mind besides eating," Inuyasha's voice was that of someone talking to someone who they think was extremely stupid.

Miroku frowned. "Well, it might be because you're not hungry then because I'm sure that there is nothing going on in that head of yours," he sneered back.

"Why you…." Inuyasha almost jumped Miroku before changing his mind and inhaling his ramen in five seconds before jumping to his feet and storming out of the cafeteria.

His friends looked at one another before looking at the place where Inuyasha was seated last, and finally looking at the entrance to the cafeteria.

There was silence around the table before there was a loud 'SLAP' and someone yelling "Ow! Why'd you do that for?!"

Ayame and the others turned to Miroku who was touching his cheek and looking at a scowling Sango, "look at what you did!" she snapped, "I can't believe you would say something that low!"

"Stupid Miroku," mumbled Inuyasha. He sighed after realizing what he was sulking about. He wasn't really mad at Miroku or what he had said, he just wanted to have a reason to get out of there before any of them started questioning him about his strange behavior. He had seen the look of concern and curiosity on their faces, and if he knew the females of their group, and he certainly does, after growing up with them, then he was sure that they would not stop badgering him until they knew what was bothering him. He wasn't as stupid as any of them thought that he would tell them with the girls being there that it was a girl that was bothering him, a girl he had barely known the existence off until a couple of hours ago. If the girls found out about that, they would sure jump into conclusion that he liked this girl and would do everything in their power to set them up. _Girls, _Inuyasha huffed and continued to walk up the stairs towards the roof.

He was just about to open the doorway to the rooftop when he was suddenly stopped on his tracks by the most beautiful melody he had ever heard in his life sang by the most melodious and angelic voice he had ever heard in his entire life. He opened the door slightly, so that it was only opened by a small crack, and what assaulted his eyesight was the most breathtaking view he had ever seen in his young life.

It was Higurashi Kagome looking up towards the sky with the sunlight embracing her with its warmth and serving as her spotlight. Her long silky raven hair was dancing with the wind while some snowflakes danced around her with the breezed. She had the most picturesque expression of serenity on her face. Her dazzling brown eyes were closed with her long soft lashes barely grazing her red cheeks due to the cold. She was singing with her hands held together in a sort of a prayer in front of her chest.

As Inuyasha stood there staring at her, a feeling of serenity and felicity settled within him and his scowling face softened while his eyes that were furrowed before, gentled in their expression as he watched her. It was the most calming feeling, standing there and listening to her soothing voice. It was as if nature itself was having a conversation with her as she captivated them in her voice.

Her luscious red lips curved into a soft smile as her song ended. Her eyes remained closed for only a moment, and then they slowly fluttered open like a blossoming flower in the spring greeting the world around her for the first time.

She had not seemed to notice his presence as she stared at the glorious snowing sky, covering the earth in its soft velvet snow as though to protect it from anything that may harm it. He was not sure what compelled him to do it, but before he could stop himself, Inuyasha had started clapping with a soft smile on his face. No matter how much he wants to stop smiling, he found himself having trouble to do so.

Upon hearing the sound of someone applauding her, Kagome was startled out of her stupor as she turned so suddenly that the snowflakes floating around her scattered in the wind and her hair whipped around her. The moment she face the opened doorway, glittering azure eyes with a hint of silver clashed with alluring amber eyes blazing with passion.

Within that connection ran words and promises that neither could comprehend and unfathomed feelings that were so strong, it sent them reeling as they stood there on the rooftop while the snow continued to fall around them. It was at that moment that they both felt like they were the only ones in the world. It was a very strange feeling for Inuyasha because he had had only met this beautiful girl in front of him just this morning and he had not even talked to her once since her arrival, and yet, this connection he was feeling with her, and these plethora of feelings emerging from deep within him, feelings that were almost drowning him, was telling him otherwise. It was as though he had known her most of his life. It was very puzzling to him, and though he did not understand them, he did not have the strength to sever the connection nor was he willing to deny what he was feeling. It was as though his subconscious knew something he didn't. Whatever it was, it was causing him to act strangely when it came to this beautiful angel in front of him.

On the other hand, it did not take long for Kagome to understand what was happening. Once she had recovered from being startled out of her stupor for the second time that day, _and the last, _promised Kagome to herself, Kagome came to her senses and with it, the understanding of what was happening. She was able to comprehend what the connection between them was and the feelings that were floating between them. He may have forgotten, but she did not, it came with knowing who she was and being alive for so long. She may had been slumbering for many years, but she had never forgotten and she never would, _Inuyasha, _that one thought was filled with so much adoration and love and with that one thought came an onslaught of memories from a past that was so far gone in time. As these memories, which came from being who she was, flashed before Kagome's eyes, she could not help but feel a sense of loss as she looked at the bemused young man in front of her with stare so piercing that it almost led her to believe that he had remembered, and yet, she was sure did not. _I'll wait 'til that day comes, but right now…_ her thoughts trailed off as her eyes softened even more before she severed the connection between them by looking away.

The sound of Kagome's gasped caused Inuyasha to come back to earth and to face the young woman in front of him, who had her head bowed. He could have sworn that her cheeks are even redder than earlier when he had seen her singing. Seeing her blush caused Inuyasha's cheeks to turn red as well and to hide his blush, he turned his head to the side, "s-sorry, I…uh…ano…I…um…I didn't mean to eavesdrop!" he sputtered, "I was just…er…I was just walking up here to clear my head when I heard you singing, and…um…I couldn't help myself, it was the most beautiful song I've ever heard…not that your voice is not beautiful, because they are, in fact it was part of the…" Inuyasha trailed off when he heard tinkling laughter coming from in front of him. He looked up and saw Kagome laughing with the most joyful expression on her face causing his snappish answer to become lodged in his throat. Even the sound of her laughter was beautiful!

Realizing that Inuyasha was now looking at her and that he had stopped talking, Kagome's laughter died down, "Oh—um, I apologize! I did not mean to act so rude!" she explained, "I did not mean to laugh at you. I just found your panicked expression so adorable and amusing that I could not help but laugh." _I wonder if he had realized that the charm hiding his true form had stopped working for a moment. Probably not._

"It's fine," mumbled Inuyasha while crossing his arms. He walked over to the bench not too far from where Kagome was standing. As he reached the bench, he saw that there were some sliced sandwiches sitting on part of the bench and a bottle of water. "Why are you eating out here?" he could not help but ask.

Kagome raised a brow and sat next to him with the food separating them, "What do you mean by that?" She took a sandwich and bit into it.

"Nothing, just that it's cold out here," Inuyasha leaned back and peered at Kagome out of the corner of his eyes. He still had his arms crossed. "Normal people usually prefer to stay warm, but here you are…"

"Does that mean that you are not normal as well?" challenged Kagome while daintily biting at her sandwich again. Inuyasha twitched, but didn't answer to the obvious bait. Kagome put down her sandwich and looked up at the sky once more while settling her hands on her lap, "I wanted to have lunch somewhere relaxing and peaceful, so I came here. Nature had always had a calming effect on me ever since I was a mere child. And you?" Kagome had closed her eyes while she was answering Inuyasha's question. Her whole body relaxing while the sunlight seem to wrap around her in protection.

"I wanted to think like I said before." Inuyasha could not help but be mesmerized by her voice causing him to fully face her. What could it hurt? Besides she had her eyes closed.

"I see."

"Yeah," the two of them sat in silence for a while until Inuyasha remembered that he had forgotten to introduce himself. "The name's Takahashi Inuyasha, by the way."

Kagome opened her eyes and turned to Inuyasha, her eyes glittering as she smiled, "Pleasure to meet you, Takahashi-kun." The way she said that sentence made him feel like she had an underlying meaning to it.

"Same here, Higurashi," was the reply as he turned his head away from her to hide his flushed cheeks. "So, I heard that you moved here from England, is that true?"

"Yes, that is true, although I was born here in Japan, at least, that is what I was told by grandfather."

The two of them continued to talk under the winter sky. As they talked longer, Inuyasha could not helped but be fascinated by Kagome. The more they talk, the more he saw that there was definitely something else deeper to Kagome besides her looks.

This was strange to him. It usually takes him so long to open up to someone, but here he was, sitting with Higurashi Kagome, spilling his guts to her like he had known her all his life. He even found himself telling her things that even his family and friends didn't know about. If the others see him at that moment, they would say that it was an impostor sitting there with Kagome and not the real Inuyasha. Besides being slow to open up, he was also not one to talk much, another thing he found unusual as he continued to talk with her.

Kagome eventually finished her sandwiches while offering some to Inuyasha, who had accepted them gratefully. They stayed up on the rooftop until the bell rang signaling for them to head back to class for their afternoon classes.

The bell had just rung to inform students to start heading to their classroom if they did not want to be punished for being late to class. Rin and the others had just arrived from the cafeteria. They looked around the room trying to find their half-demon friend, who they were so sure was still moping around about what had happened in the cafeteria. When they did not see him in the classroom, they look at one another with questioning eyes. "Miroku, you're his best friend, where do you think he went?" asked Rin as they all headed to their seats.

Miroku furrowed his brows in confusion, "I have no idea. I thought he was coming here when he left." He looked at the empty seat across from him and frowned. He did not think that Inuyasha would be that mad about what had happened.

Ayame, on the other hand, was not thinking about where Inuyasha might be. Her mind was on another matter, and that is the ever mysterious heiress of the Higurashi family. She had seen the way Inuyasha had looked back into the classroom when they were leaving earlier and she had seen that the only person in the room when they left was Higurashi Kagome. From the way she was just sitting on her seat earlier, she had thought that the heiress would stay in the classroom. She was obviously wrong. Ayame shook her head away from her thoughts and turned to her friends. "You don't think he went outside, do you?"

"Now that you think about it, the mutt does love brooding up in a tree," added Kouga.

"For your information, ya mangy wolf, I don't brood and I wasn't up in a tree!" growled a familiar voice. They all turned towards the door of the classroom only to drop their jaw at the sight before them.

There at the doorway was their missing friend, but that was not why they became slack-jawed. The reason was standing next to him, holding onto the sleeves of his uniform jacket, as though holding back a leaping dog from attacking a stranger. The expression on her face was that of a disapproving mother. Since when did Inuyasha let himself be touched by anyone besides his family and friends? "Calm yourself, Takahashi-kun," they heard Higurashi Kagome say to their friend in a soothing voice while shooting him a disapproving look. The next thing that happened almost caused them to topple over on their seat.

Instead of snapping or snarling at her like what they had thought Inuyasha would do, the _normal_ Inuyasha would do, this new Inuyasha turned to her and gave her a look that were filled with gentleness that they had never seen in him, it was a gentleness that could only be seen in the eyes of someone who absolutely adored the person they are looking at. But how could that be when they had only met this morning! It was only a glance, but it held so much and they wondered if Inuyasha even knew what he was feeling. "Sorry," they heard him mutter as he softly took her hand from his sleeve and held it for a moment longer than was necessary before prodding her to walk in front of him to their seats. It was a moment that his friends almost had heart attacks. Sango and Rin shared a look of disbelief and looked towards the window, _it better be not the end of the world! 'Cause if it is, I so didn't pack my favorite things and haven't said goodbye to my beloveds! _Were both their line of thoughts as they look up at the ceiling hopefully. They looked towards one another again and held back giggles as Kagome and Inuyasha sat down on their seats.

"So, if you weren't brooding up in a tree, where did you go, mutt?"

"Shouldn't you be in your class, upstairs?" shot back Inuyasha. "Unless you were dumb enough to forget your own classroom," he sneered.

Kouga growled before leaving the room to go to his classroom, but not before kissing Ayame on the cheek flirtatiously as a goodbye causing the girl to blush and her friends to snicker.

There was a moment of silence as Kagome started reading a book and ignored everyone around her. Sango cleared her throat while sending Inuyasha an expectant look. Inuyasha looked up at her with a questioning look. "What?"

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Sango looked at him, and then motioned with her eyes to Kagome, who was already lost within the world that was created by the book she was reading.

At least that was what it looked like to everyone in the room, but the truth of the matter was, Kagome may be reading a book, but only her eyes were focused on her book, while her full attention was focused elsewhere, and that was on the conversation that the ISN spies were having. She would not be one of the best spies if she did not know the simply task of knowing how to multi task.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Keh!" he huffed before tapping Kagome on her shoulder, startling her completely that she jumped on her seat, but there was something about the way she had jumped. Inuyasha furrowed his brow. _Hmm, is it me or did it looked like she knew that I was about to tap her and acted like she was startled? _He thought suspiciously before dismissing the matter at hand. Everything about his body language said that he found this task so bothersome.

Kagome turned her head and raised a brow at Inuyasha, waiting for him to say something. Inuyasha rolled his eyes once more and sighed. "Higurashi, meet my annoying and meddling friends," Inuyasha motioned to his friends one by one as he mentioned their names.

"Nishimura Miroku, the pervert," Miroku bowed his head, but not before glaring at Inuyasha with displeasure written all over his face upon the way he was introduced while Inuyasha just ignored him and continued with his introduction.

Kagome giggled at the exchanged.

"Matsuda Sango, the genius and the love of Miroku's life," Miroku kicked Inuyasha while Sango's cheeks tinted red, which she hid from view by bowing her head. Inuyasha turned to Kagome and whispered noticeably, "she might be a genius when it comes to books, but the complete idiot when it comes to human feelings." Kagome, Ayame, and Rin giggled while Sango's head turned to Inuyasha so fast that Kagome was afraid she had given herself a whiplash. She was sending Inuyasha a look of death, which the half-demon dismissed like a bug that was not worth his time.

"Suzuki Rin, the devious and airheaded one of the group." Rin glared at Inuyasha with contempt.

_You'll pay for that Takahashi,_ she thought. "Nice to meet you Higurashi-san."

"Please do not call me that, Suzuki-san. That is my father, brother, and grandfather's title," said Kagome with a smile on her face, "Please call me Kagome, and that goes for all of you," she added with another dazzling smile on her face, which was returned by everyone with the exception of Inuyasha, who just rolled his eyes.

"If you're done with that, let me introduce you to Watanabe Ayame, the observant and spacey one who is in love with the fool you just saw earlier."

"Pleasure to meet you Watanabe -san."

"Call me Ayame."

"Very well then, Ayame."

"Hey! If you're going to call her that, then call me Rin!" beamed Rin.

"Call me Sango."

"And the lady may call me Miroku," added Miroku with a flirtatious wink sent Kagome's way. He would have taken her hand and kissed it if it weren't for two deathly glares sent his way, challenging him to do something stupid.

They didn't have time for small talks because the teacher had walked in meaning that it was time for their class to begin. The rest of the day was uneventful besides the fact that Kagome remained silent in between classes with her head buried in her books while they waited for their next teacher to arrive.

Later that evening, Inuyasha and his friends can be found in the library of their headquarters for their study session. Throughout the years that they have been in school and training to be spies, they had found it easier to study together in the headquarters' library.

It was easier that way because if they were ever needed in an emergency, they would already be in the headquarters, and they had found that the library contained every book that they would ever need for their classes, so if they ever need a book for one of their homework, then they did not have to search for it that far and waste any more time than what was necessary.

Anyway, while Sango, Rin, Miroku, Sesshomaru, Kouga, and Ayame were busy with doing their school work on one of the tables, Inuyasha can be found sitting on a windowsill, staring into space. He was thinking about the only person that seemed to have taken over his brain since he had seen her that morning. More importantly, he could not seem to erase that meeting on the rooftop from his mind. Throughout the day, he had found himself thinking about that moment, and no matter how much he had tried to think about something else, he always seem to end up thinking about him and Kagome talking.

"Hey, Inuyasha!" called out Ayame, who was the only one to have noticed that the half-demon had been lost in his thoughts the whole day. Kouga and his usual arguments every day after school had not started.

The aforementioned half-demon did not reply or showed any indication that he had heard his name being called. In fact, the only indication that he was still awake was his spacey sigh.

Ayame frowned, that was another thing that he had been doing since he got back from lunch. _Hmm_, she thought as a knowing glint appeared in her emerald eyes, _and if I'm not mistaken, then this spacey attitude and uncharacteristic sighing is caused by none other than Kagome_.

"What are you up to, Aya-chan?" questioned Rin, who had sensed the air of mischief around her friend. She would not be known for being sneaky and mischievous for nothing. Rin's tone of voice was that of a conspirator, her brown eyes sparkling with the same mischief.

"Watch and see," Ayame's eyes shimmered with mischief as she smirked. Rin giggled as she watched Ayame get up from her seat and walked towards the spaced out Inuyasha. The scratching of Ayame's chair on the floor caught the attention of Sesshomaru, Kouga, Miroku, and Sango.

With one glance at Rin's sparkling eyes and Ayame's plotting smile, they instantly figured that the duo was planning something that might cause a certain half-demon to explode or be embarrassed.

"Oh my, **Kagome**, what are you doing here?" spoke Ayame right next to the unsuspecting half-demon while emphasizing Kagome's name.

"Kagome! What?—Where?" Inuyasha almost fell off the ledge as he stood up so abruptly while running his hand through his hair in an attempt to make it look more presentable, not realizing that it actually made his hair more unruly. His eyes darting everywhere as he searched the room for the girl who had been in his thoughts all day, forgetting the fact that there was no possible way for Kagome to be there because she was not an agent and even if she belonged to the Higurashi family, the only one who comes to the headquarters from the that family was the head of the family, the grandfather.

Inuyasha was brought back to reality when he heard his friends' laughter. He instantly turned red when he realized what he had been doing. Inuyasha was turning redder and redder by the minute as he watched his friends roll around the floor in mirth. "KEH!" he exclaimed, trying to keep as much dignity as he could. He crossed his arms and turned his head away only to catch his brother's eyes that were filled with mirth.

Sesshomaru was the only one who had enough decency and self control to not roll around the floor. If it were possible, Inuyasha turned even redder as his brother raised an eyebrow tauntingly while giving him a knowing look.

"Oh my gosh! You…should…have….s-seen…your—face!" gasped out Sango between laughs.

"Grrr…why, you…" the next thing that Miroku and Kouga knew, they both had growing bumps on their heads, where the flustered Inuyasha had punched them, and if he was raised differently, then he would have given the girls a piece of his mind too. But since he was raised to never raise a hand against a female unless absolutely necessary, he just sent the three of them his famous death glare that can unnerved anyone that it was directed at except for his family, who was immune to them.

The laughter instantly stopped once they saw the glare aimed their way. Once he saw that everyone stopped laughing, he huffed and walked over to one of chairs, all the while mumbling about stupid people who call themselves his friends. The three girls looked at each other, amusement sparkling in their eyes as they all settled back to their seats. "So," started Miroku, raising an inquiring eyebrow at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked at his brother and friends' expectant faces. He was sure that they were waiting for him to explain his little episode a moment ago. He sent them a bored look before finally starting on his homework, only to find it hard to concentrate on his work when there were six piercing eyes directed at his person. He sighed in frustration, "What?!" he bit out, his arms crossed in front of him like a stubborn child wanting to be left alone.

Ayame, Rin, and Sango looked at one another meaningfully. If the boys did not know any better, they would have thought that the three girls were conversing with each other through their eyes. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ayame spoke; she was obviously the chosen speaker. "Where'd you go during lunch after you stormed off from the cafeteria?" she inquired.

Inuyasha looked at her pointedly. As if he was going to answer that question, _I might as well feed myself to a hungry pack of lions_, he thought. After all, it would be too revealing to tell them that he had been with Kagome the whole time. "Like I'm going to tell you that," he scoffed at the idea of spilling his guts to these crazy girls, who thinks that they were cupid himself.

There was a moment of silence causing Inuyasha to fidget uncomfortably on his seat. He glanced at where the girls were sitting and had to stop himself from bolting out the door; all three of them were staring at him so intently with eyes so piercing that he was surprise that they had not been able to see his soul.

Inuyasha looked at the other three guys in the room, only to regret his decision when he saw the devilish smirks on their faces when he saw that each of them had stood near every entrances of the room, completely blocking off his chances of escaping. His eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal surrounded by its predators. "I went to the school's roof," he muttered, finally giving up on escaping.

The three girls cheered triumphantly, knowing that Inuyasha had given up on not answering their questions, while the three guys smirked at each other victoriously. They did feel a bit of pity towards Inuyasha, who was about to suffer the worst drilling of his life. They would not want to be in the situation that Inuyasha was in right now, after all, the three girls can be a bit carried away when they were in their meddling moods.

"And," prompted Sango.

Inuyasha raised his brow. "What?"

"What were you doing there?" spoke up Ayame.

"Was there anyone with you?" added Rin. "Kagome, perhaps?" All three girls grinned madly when they saw the red staining Inuyasha's cheeks. They had never seen Inuyasha blush this much before, and they found it very amusing.

"Thinking."

"You didn't answer the last question," reminded Rin in a sing-song voice.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Inuyasha saw Sesshomaru, Miroku, and Kouga leaving the room, all of them snickering at his expense. He almost growled out loud when he saw that Miroku had sealed the doors with _ofudas_, which made sure that he would not be able to leave the room without their permission. _Shit, _he cursed in his mind. "Yes," he mumbled as his cheeks turned even redder. He found himself sinking into the chair by the minute. "Can I go now?!" he growled out.

"Nope!" were the cheerful replies.

"Would you leave me alone if I tell you what happened?!" he bit out.

Three excited nods met his query. The three girls were on the edge of their seats, waiting for Inuyasha to tell them what had happened that day when he was gone.

Inuyasha started his story, and as he reached the point when he told them about hearing someone singing and describing how beautiful the melody and the voice was, the three girls could not help but sigh dreamily as they stared into space along with Inuyasha, who had seemed to have forgotten that he had an audience while he was recounting what had happened to him that day. For if he had, he would not have let his expression change from anything but boredom, but, as it was, thinking about Kagome had somehow affected him this way.

"…_grandfather," the look on Kagome's face was something akin to a feeling of nostalgia. Her eyes became hooded while her body seemed to tense, but it was only for a moment, for the nostalgic look that came over her features instantly disappeared in a second as she smiled up at him. _

"_The way that you talk about it, it's like you don't believe that yourself…I mean that you are born here?" He looked at her through the corner of his eyes. _

_She smiled sadly. "I have no qualms about that." _

"_Oh?" he prodded as he focused his eyes on her. He did not feel like hiding his interest anymore. "How is it then that you—" _

"—_it's just that I have no memories of this place…" Kagome glanced at him before looking straight ahead. Her eyes focusing on something that he could not see, "…nor do I remember the people who had brought me into this world."_

"_You mean your parents?" _

"_Hmm? Yes, I suppose one can call them that," the smile and the look that came over her had something hidden behind them. Inuyasha wished for that moment that he was able to read her mind in order to understand what that look and smile had meant, "When I was only a mere child and growing up, I had always wanted to come here, but somehow…" she paused and closed her eyes, "my grandfather had always forbidden it. Every time that I had requested it, even a one day visit, it was always denied."_

"_Do you know why?"_

"_No. I was never told, but somehow there was this unbidden feeling that I knew the reason behind it. In truth, I grew up within a huge mansion surrounded by walls, and I was only allowed to leave its premises for certain times and if my duty calls upon it." Kagome stood up and walked towards the fence that was surrounding the school roof to prevent them from falling. She looked out into the distance before sighing, "I am afraid that I have told you too much." _

_The moment she looked up at him, their eyes instantly locked upon each other, and at that moment, waves of emotions came over him. Emotions that had the same effects as what had happened earlier, it was that same feelings that he could not explain or understand why he was feeling them, "soon," whispered by the wind that suddenly flew around them. _

"…after that, Higurashi sat back down and asked about the customs here in Japan. We also talked about school and other mundane things. I tried to ask her more about her life, but she managed to change the subject every time, so I just dropped it." Inuyasha looked at his audiences to find them looking very perplexed, worried, and excited at the same time. _Women, _he thought wryly, _they can even multitask in feeling different emotions. _"And now, I'm outta here!" Inuyasha jumped out of his seat like there were burning coals under him and ran out of the room like someone who was being chased by a morbid animal. At least, the _ofuda _had been removed.


	3. Chapter 2: The Coming of the Phoenix

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or the Inuyasha charaters, they are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. The plot of this story, however, is mine.

**Chapter 2:**

_The Coming of the Phoenix _

It has been a month since they started looking for the princess and Kagome's unexpected arrival, which had sent the elders in their division into frenzy. Besides the Higurashi heiress's arrival, there was nothing else exciting that happened during that month. Their search for the princess seemed in vain for they were not able to find any clue that would lead them to her. There was not even any hint given on how they were supposed to find the girl. What were they suppose to do? Asked every girl in the planet if she were the princess, and even that method is useless because the elders told them that the princess may not even know that she was the princess.

At least, there had not been that many attacks from the enemy, well, nothing too big that one of them could not handle. What more, is that the so called Phoenix has not even shown his or her face at all during battle or at the headquarters.

And Inuyasha and the others were still in the dark about why the princess and Kagome being in close proximity with each other was a problem. Seriously, one would expect that Sesshomaru and the elders would inform them about it, _but __**no**__, they would inform us about that when necessary_, thought Inuyasha with a frown marring his features as he sat on his seat in the classroom while his friends talked amongst themselves.

Noticing Inuyasha's sour mood, Kagome put down her book and turned her attention to her friend. "Inuyasha."

"Hmm?" the aforementioned half-demon shook his head and turned to Kagome, who had become one of his closest friends through the month that they had known each other. It was a new record to the usually antisocial half-demon.

"What is the matter?" Her brows furrowing in concern.

Inuyasha frowned when he realized that he was worrying Kagome. "Nothing, I was just thinking about something unimportant," he reassured. Kagome sent him a look of uncertainty. "Really, it's nothing for you to worry about."

"If you are certain…" she hesitantly turned back to her book, but not before sending Inuyasha a worried glance. _Do not worry Inuyasha, soon, you along with the others_, she glanced at Sango and the rest discreetly, _shall have the answers to some of your questions._

Meanwhile, Sango, Rin, Ayame, and Miroku were conversing to themselves.

"Have you found anything?" murmured Rin.

Sango shook her head, "I couldn't find anything in any history or mythology books."

They expectantly turned to Miroku, who sighed, "there are no records in any of our scrolls."

"Nothing on my side either," added Ayame. All four of them sighed, they have been trying to find any records about the Shikon in anything they could get their hands, and so far, they have found no handwritten information about the Shikon, so they can forget about finding anything that can help them find their princess.

"This is so frustrating," muttered Sango. She glanced at where Kagome was sitting and gasped causing her friends to look at her questioningly.

Sango looked at them pointedly and then motioned with her eyes towards Kagome. They all looked at the girl and turned back to Sango with befuddled expressions on their faces. Sango wanted to slap her forehead at her friends' stupidity. She once again motioned to Kagome's seat with her eyes.

Her friends sighed and glanced Kagome's way. _What is wrong with that girl? _thought Rin. Honestly, her friend could be so vague sometimes. _Always thinking that everyone knows what she's thinking. Why does she want us to look at Kagome? She's not doing anything, but reading one of her books, as usual._ Rin rolled her eyes and turned back to Sango along with the other two inquiringly.

"What?" inquired Ayame when Sango looked at them pointedly. "She's reading, like she normally does when we wait for teachers."

Sango rolled her eyes in aggravation, _honestly, my friends can be such idiots sometimes_, she had expected Ayame to at least get what she was telling them seeing as she was the observant one, but apparently she had been influenced by the others' stupidity and denseness, "and what is she reading?" hissed Sango.

Miroku glanced at the book that Kagome was reading, "Something about Shikon," answered Miroku flippantly while sending Sango a look of boredom.

_Oh my gosh, I work with idiots_, this time, she did not stop herself from slapping her forehead and running her hands down her face in frustration. _Please tell they're joking. _She looked up just in time to see her friends looking at her like she had grown another head. "Please tell me you guys heard what came out of his mouth."

"Yeah, something about Shikon…" answered Ayame and Rin while trailing off as their slow brain processed the information. "Oh. Oh! Oh…" Ayame, Rin, and Miroku looked at each other while sending Sango a sheepish look.

"What's going on?" asked Inuyasha. His head cocked to the side in confusion. He was watching them act like retards a while ago and had finally decided that he had enough.

"Nothing, we just think that we have a lead," Ayame smirked arrogantly. Inuyasha looked at her disbelievingly.

"Hey Kagome," called out Sango. Said girl looked up from her book as she looked at Sango inquiringly.

"Yes?"

"Um…Could I borrow your book?"

"Of course," Kagome was about to hand the book to Sango when she held up her hands and said, "you don't have to give it to me right now since you're reading it."

"It is quite alright. I have finished reading it." Kagome smiled and handed Sango the book without any question. _After all, I brought this for you and your friends. _She had been covertly watching them whenever possible, may it be while they were at the headquarters doing research or when they were out and about doing their missions on finding the princess or fighting against their enemies. She had been kept hidden by the shadows while she watched over them to make sure that none of them would be hurt. _They need to further their training for even if they are the strongest within their division, they are not strong enough to fight against __**him**__ face to face._ Her eyes became filled with sorrow as she remembered two instances where she had experienced feeling useless, _and this time, I shall protect them with my life like I was not able to before. _With a new resolve she looked up just in time to see three girls looking at her with concern on their faces.

"Kagome?" murmured Rin with voice filled with concern.

"It is nothing," she reassured. She beamed at them to assuage their concern, "I sure hope that lunch time would arrive quickly!"

The three girls giggled, "Me too!"

Kagome may have fooled them, but she sure did not fool the boy sitting behind her. Inuyasha was staring at the back of Kagome's head with so much intensity as though it would help him get inside her brain and see what was bothering her. _Why are you not telling me what's bothering you? _

_Well captain obvious! It's not like you're telling her everything! Talk about being a hypocrite!_

_What the…?! _Inuyasha almost fell off his chair when he heard a voice talking inside his head. _Who the hell are you? _He demanded.

_Someone who is obviously smarter than you are! _Taunted the voice inside his head. Somehow the tone of his voice sounded like his, but there was an undertone of gruffness hidden within it.

Inuyasha growled, not noticing that he had growled out loud. Kagome, Sango, Rin, Ayame, and Miroku looked at their friend questioningly.

_Oh, sorry! Did I hit a nerve?_ Inuyasha could have sworn that whoever the voice belonged to was smirking arrogantly. If he gets his hand on whoever that voice belong to… _Pup, you can't hurt me! _

_What the…how the hell did you know what I was thinking!_

_Because, you retard, I'm you!_

_What do you mean by that?! _ he demanded. He was getting more confused and aggravated by the minute, and he hoped that he was not losing his mind here, but seeing as stranger things have happened, how much stranger is it that he could hear a voice inside his head telling him it was Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was snapped out of his musings when he heard a snicker, _I sometimes wonder why I'm still sane when I've been living inside your head. Are you an idiot or what?! I'm your fucking demon side! _Growled the voice as he saw an image of someone, who looked exactly like him except that instead of the sclera being white, it was read and his pupils were blue, and he had markings on his cheeks just like his father and brother's but different in color, flashed before his eyes, startling him so hard that he almost toppled over on his seat. "YOU CAN'T FUCKING EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT?!" he yelled out in outrage. He abruptly stood up from his chair and slammed both palms on the table with so much force that it almost broke.

"Excuse me, Takahashi?!" a voice filled with authority shrilled in offense.

Inuyasha slowly looked up, only to be met by his teacher's appalled eyes, challenging him to say something stupid while his ears were met by the snickering of his classmates. He looked at his teacher sheepishly, "er…?"

The teacher sputtered in anger before pointing at the door with shaking fingers, "Outside, NOW, TAKAHASHI, and stand there 'til the end of the period!" the teacher headed back in front of the class while grumbling about teenagers and their disrespect for the elderly.

"KEH!" Inuyasha shot his teacher a glare of his own behind her back before walking out of the classroom while mumbling about single old hags who were just bitter because they could not find any dates. He glared at his classmates causing them to stop laughing before shutting the door behind him.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha's back knowingly, _his demon side is awakening_. She furrowed her brow in confusion; _it is still far too early for his demon to have been awakened_. _Could my close proximity be causing it to have awakened prematurely? Even still, Inuyasha must not be allowed to remember as of yet! _A glint of new determination showed in Kagome's eyes before her eyes became filled with worry and her shoulders dropped, _for if that were to happen now…_she trailed off in her thoughts, "the limit does not exist," she answered without even sparing her teacher a glance, who had asked her a question thinking that Kagome was not paying attention like Inuyasha. _NO! I will not let it come to that, _she vowed to herself. _I will not be the cause of it once more._

Inuyasha's team was once again called to the headquarters that day, and they were not really that surprise because of what they had heard the last time they were here. In fact, they would have been surprise if they weren't summoned to the headquarters because they were at a time when every second of the day counted for it was such a trying time, and the future of everyone in the world counted on their victory to whatever it is that may come. Not only because of the need to find the princess, but also this sudden emergence of the Higurashi heiress, which stirred deep concern and apprehension amongst the ISN superiors. The reason behind their sudden anxiety is unknown to most with the sole exception of Sesshomaru, who had been present when the heiress was born, therefore, knowing the story behind her hidden existence since her birth from people around the world. And these same people were the only one to know Higurashi Kagome's importance to their organization.

All of them were currently in the command room of the headquarters. The command room was a room filled with many technologies, most of which were used before, during, and after missions. In the middle of the room was a huge circular table that could seat about fifteen people in total. Holograms are viewed in the center of the table when the need arises. There are also computers around the room.

"Did you start reading that book yet, Sango?" asked Ayame, hoping that the book held something of importance to finding their princess.

"What book?" Sesshomaru sent the people in the room an inquiring look, his lips pursed in thought that they had smuggled something into the headquarters without his knowledge.

"Relax!" huffed Ayame, while crossing her arms in annoyance, "We're not like that imbecile sitting next to you!"

The offended wolf demon sitting next to Sesshomaru growled in resentment to that comment. With one look sent by the three girls in the room, he stopped whatever he was going to say. He may be stupid, but he was not that stupid as to oppose three girls who seemed to be on the verge of exploding.

The Takahashi brothers, Miroku, Sango, and Rin rolled their eyes in annoyance, _and they are fighting again_, they sighed hopelessly. They were waiting for the time when both of them would realize that they were both desperately in love with one another. At least, they were one step closer to that goal with Ayame already admitting that she is irrevocably in love with the fool she was currently exchanging venomous glares with.

_Another love-hate relationship, _sighed Rin. _I wonder…._ She glanced at Sesshomaru and sighed miserably. _Or at least a hopeless situation._

Sesshomaru cleared his throat before they get any more sidetracked. Ayame and Kouga stopped glaring at each other at once. "Ayame?" Sesshomaru prompted.

"Oh right," Ayame scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "Um…well, you know how we've been looking for any information about the princess, right?"

Sesshomaru nodded curtly, his impatience getting the better of him.

"Well, Kagome lent us this book, _Shikon: A Princess's Gem_," She rushed out to say when she noticed that the dog-demon was getting impatient.

Sesshomaru slightly stiffened when he heard Kagome's name mentioned, luckily no one seemed to have noticed except Ayame, who had furrowed her brow in confusion. _I wonder what was up with that. _

"Higurashi, you say?" Sesshomaru raised a brow. He looked at Inuyasha for confirmation, but the young half-demon clearly did not know what the others were talking about.

"I don't know. All I remember is that Ayame told me that they had found a lead," Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders.

"Hello!" huffed Sango, "why would you ask him if we found a lead or not? He was kicked out of the class for god's sake! So he wouldn't know about the book because we didn't get to tell him."

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru looked at Sango with looks of confusion marring their faces. They did not understand why Sango was being so defensive about Sesshomaru wanting to confirm with Inuyasha. _Superiority issue, much? _Thought Inuyasha while crossing his arms.

"So?" Kouga prompted, wanting to stop all the argument and get to the point. They already wasted enough time.

"Whatever," murmured Sango, "no, I haven't read the book because I haven't had any time to read it."

"Well then, I guess we're still not sure if there is a lead," muttered Sesshomaru condescendingly. A smirk appeared on his face since he was, after all, right about doubting their information.

Ayame and Rin had to hold on to Sango's arms to stop her from jumping on Sesshomaru and pummeling him to the ground. Sango's nose was flaring in anger and her right brow was twitching while her fists clenched and unclenched at her side.

"Calm down, San," Rin soothingly murmured, her right hand rubbing Sango's back in a soothing manner.

Sango inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly as she closed her eyes and counted to ten in order to calm her nerves. She hated it when others undermine her intelligence.

"Ahem!"

The teens instantly looked up to where the clearing of the throat was heard. They instantly stood up when they saw that it was Tsuki-san and Takahashi-san standing by the doorway in all their glory. Both of them had their eyebrows raised in question as their eyes darted from the three girls on the other side of the room to the four boys standing across from them.

When they had walked into the room a few moments ago, it had appeared that a brawl was about to take place. It had looked like Ayame and Rin were restraining Sango from leaping across the room while Sesshomaru was looking so smugly on the other side, clearly taunting the girl about something. Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kouga had looked like they could care less about what was happening as they had sat on their seats carelessly.

"Good evening," said the two adults as they dismissed what was going on. They had known this group of teenagers since they were little to know that they had been squabbling amongst themselves once more and it was nothing to be worried about.

"Good evening."

"Now, take a seat over at the table," directed Tsuki-san as she and Takahashi-san stood by it.

The eleven teens obliged immediately when they detected the seriousness in Tsuki-san's voice. All of them were wondering why the two adults seemed to be tenser than the last time they had seen them. "How are you all fairing with the search of the princess?" asked Takahashi-san, his eyes roving around the room from one teenager to another.

There was a pause as the tension in the room seemed to thicken, mostly around the three girls and Sesshomaru, whose shoulders had tensed for a moment before relaxing again. "Not well," answered Miroku hastily, stopping another argument from erupting when he saw Sesshomaru about to say something. If he knew him well, and he does, he was sure that it was going to be a biting remark.

"As expected," commented Takahashi-san dismissively. Tsuki-san, on the other hand, had seen the reaction between the teenagers in front of them. "After all, the princess and any information concerning her had been thoroughly hidden, if there is any, that is." He sighed, "I shall leave all of you to the care of Tsuki-san. That is all I came here to ask you, but now I must go take care of other pressing matters. Good bye."

"Bye." With that, Takahashi-san left the room.

The teenagers watched as Tuski-san pressed the button and a hologram of Higurashi Kagome suddenly appeared, completely startling them as they jumped on their seats.

At least, it appeared to be her. Although the Kagome in the hologram was dressed in an elegant white dress as silver wings protruded from her back. She was kneeling on the ground with a very sad look in her eyes. There was a sparkle of tears running down her cheeks while her long raven hair draped down her shoulder, some of them were matted to her face. On her right hand was a crystallized sword covered in blood.

"Ka…go…me?" murmured Inuyasha as his right hand moved towards the picture like it had a mind of its own. However, before he was able to touch the hologram, he dropped his hand as he shook himself out of the trance that he had fallen in.

"That's not Higurashi Kagome," said Sesshomaru, his tone of voice filled with confidence.

Upon hearing and processing Sesshomaru's word, Inuyasha and the rest of their friends snapped out of their reverie as they looked at Sesshomaru inquiringly, waiting for him to continue what he was saying. "That's her mother."

The teenagers gasped in shock as their heads turned so abruptly from Sesshomaru to the hologram in front of them, it was a surprise that they did not get whiplashed.

They looked at Tsuki-san for confirmation, but the look on her face clearly said that Sesshomaru was right in his assumption. "This is Higurashi Midoriko, mother to Higurashi Kagome and former wielder of the sword of divinity." She pointed at the blooded sword that the woman was holding.

"What's the sword of divinity?" questioned Sango, it was the first time that she had heard of it unlike the people with demon blood and spiritual power in the room.

"It is a crystallized sword that, unlike Sesshomaru's Tensaiga, holds the power to open the gates of heaven and purify everything that is in a hundred mile radius with one swing," supplied Miroku.

"That is correct," confirmed Tsuki-san, "but what Miroku has failed to mention and I doubt that any of you have heard about it. The sword of divinity not only carries an enormous amount of power, but it is also the only sword that would be able to destroy the princess."

Everyone in the room gasped in horror. Their eyes darted from the blood on the sword to the person holding it, all of them wondering if the person in front of them was the one who had destroyed their princess. They slowly looked up at Tsuki-san, who had sadly looked down on the floor in front of them, "I'm afraid that it is, in fact, the blood of the princess staining the sword."

"You don't mean?!" Sango's eyes widened in sudden realization as she managed to solve the cause of the elders' sudden apprehension when they had heard that Higurashi Kagome had returned to her birthplace, it was a very hard thing to swallow as she saw the sparkling eyes of Kagome filled with joy in her mind's eyes as she laughed at something that one of them had said.

Tsuki-san nodded in confirmation, "the only one able to wield that sword is the one who is a female from the Higurashi bloodline, and at the moment, that is Higurashi Kagome."

"No!" exclaimed Sango, Rin, and Ayame. The two girls finally caught up to what Sango were able to figure out moments ago.

All three girls were now on their feet as they slammed their palms on the table. All of them were shaking their heads in disbelief. "I WILL NOT BE ORDERED TO END HER LIFE!"

"WHAT?!" snarled Inuyasha, as he too jumped to his feet as he glared at the only adult in the room.

Sesshomaru immediately jumped out of his seat and stood in front of Tsuki-san. His arms thrown to his sides as he blocked Inuyasha from attacking the elder behind him. "SIT DOWN! ALL OF YOU!" his voice echoed throughout the room with authority. His eyes narrowed in warning when none of the four head his warning. "I said, SIT DOWN!" His eyes flashed red for a moment as his brother and their friends finally sat down. It was a very rare occurrence that Sesshomaru would yell, so the fact that he was yelling at that moment had unnerved them. "If all of you had let Tsuki-san finish before jumping to any conclusion, then you would have known that they're not going to order us to eliminate Higurashi Kagome," he growled out, looking back at the elder behind him, he continued, "in fact, we are suppose to be protecting Higurashi Kagome with everything we have like we will with the princess."

"Huh?" Kouga scratched his brow in confusion while Inuyasha tilted his head on the side. Miroku, on the other hand, massaged his temple in tiredness. All of the information and confusion in the room was giving him a headache.

"Go on," directed Tsuki-san, motioning for Sesshomaru to continue with her hand as she sat down on one of the chair. She massaged her forehead to assuage her distress. She swore that she was too old for all of the things that had been happening lately.

"Sixteen years ago, a month before Higurashi Kagome was born; the Higurashi family received a threatening letter from Onigumo." They gasped in shock when they heard the name of their current enemy. "It said that they were going to come for the baby. Our enemy had wanted to capture Higurashi since she was a baby in hopes of raising her to be on their side, so that when the time comes, she would surely kill the princess. A month later, when Higurashi was born, I was sent by father and the rest of the elders to the Higurashi estate on a mission. My mission was to get Higurashi Kagome and escort the baby out of the country and to protect her until I was called back. I spent five years in the Higurashi Manor in London, England, taking care of the heiress.

Thirteen years ago, I was called back to return while Kagome was sent to a boarding school. It was the last thing I had heard of Higurashi Kagome, and I was also ordered that when the time comes of Kagome's return, I was to protect her at all cost with the rest of my team." By the end of Sesshomaru's story, everyone in the room had their mouths hanging open. They could not believe that Sesshomaru was ordered to take care of baby and that he had actually done it, and from the looks of it, Sesshomaru had become fond of that child.

Now, Inuyasha finally understand why his brother's eyes had softened and became filled with concern when Kagome had arrived at their school. The two of them has not been reunited because Sesshomaru had been in and out of the school for the past month, and he would bet that it had something to do with protecting the heiress. "So, will you be going to school every day now?" he asked.

Sesshomaru nodded his head.

"So, that's why I didn't see you much when I was little," commented Inuyasha while nodding his head as though he had found out a solution from a very serious problem. Everyone else in the room ignored Inuyasha's comment.

Tsuki-san motioned for Sesshomaru to take his seat, as he did so, she stood up and cleared her throat to get everyone's undivided attention, "If our enemy gets a hold of Higurashi Kagome and somehow manage to brainwash her, we have no chance in saving the princess if it ever comes to a point of Higurashi Kagome attacking our princess with the sword of divinity. So, the protection of the heiress is in outmost important along with the search for the princess. Once we get the princess and the wielder of the sword together, our victory would be assured. As for the incident of Higurashi Midoriko killing our princess before, we still have no idea of why it had happened. All we know is that after a thorough investigation, the late Lady Midoriko was not found guilty of any crime. So the organization remains loyal to the Higurashi family."

They spent the next few hours looking over the history of the Higurashi family and learning about each member. While thoroughly examining every records that the world had of the Higurashi family, they found something unsettling about a record from a few century ago. Somehow, a page from a century ago was missing, and all they knew was that at that time, the princess was still alive.

They also managed to find out that no matter how hard they looked for it, they could not find any data about Higurashi Kagome. Tsuki-san and Sesshomaru told them that it was nothing to be bothered by because Kagome's existence had been erased in any books and records within the government to protect her, so it was not a surprise that they could not find anything about her anywhere.

"Before all of you leave to go back to your homes, there are some things that the agency wants all of you to do," called out Tuski-san as the teenagers were preparing to leave for the night.

"What is it?" they asked.

"Elder Takahashi and Ookami were assigned to investigate a mission involving the Elite Division—"

"—isn't that against the law involving our agency?" interrupted Sango; truly confuse about the reason why their agency was crossing over the line. No one was allowed to interfere with the Elite Division.

"Yes, but we have valid reasons to look over this one cause because it is a joined mission between the Elite Division and the ISN," Tsuki-san looked at Sango straight in the eye, challenging her to interrupt her one more time. Sango gulped and bowed her head in apology. "Anyways, Suzuki and Watanabe, the two of you are to do more research about the princess and the sword of divinity in the Higurashi Archive. Nishimura, Matsuda, and Takahashi," she glanced at Inuyasha as a way to tell him that she was talking about him, "are assigned a mission. The three of you need to terminate one of the biggest crime lords in Asia. He is human with no special powers, so it should be an easy mission. All of you will be departing tomorrow and are going to be back here the next day. Takahashi, you'll be the leader of your group."

Inuyasha nodded in understanding.

"Takahashi and Ookami, the two of you are going to London, England: the site of the most Elite Division activity. Find out anything you can about them over there. Suzuki and Watanabe, the Higurashi Archives are located under the main house of the Higurashi family. Higurashi Souta is going to show you where it is and will be accompanying the two of you to make sure that you don't touch anything that you're not supposed to. Try to see if the sword of divinity is hidden somewhere in the room, but do not make it too obvious.

Get some sleep for all of you are leaving tomorrow around three in the morning, and it is now," she looked at the clock on the wall and frowned, "eleven-thirty. You are dismissed. Good luck."

She watched as they hurriedly got to their feet and hastily left the room while muttering to themselves about waking up too early the next day and not getting enough sleep.

At exactly three in the morning, the group of teenagers departed from the headquarters to head for the places they needed to go. Sesshomaru and Kouga were transported to the city of London with the help of a few mages in their organization. They were given a token that would help in bringing them back to headquarters while transporting. On the other hand, Rin and Ayame were picked up by one of the Higurashi limousines; nothing magical about it at all.

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango were headed to Kyoto using one of the jets owned by the organization. The moment the three of them arrived at their hotel, they instantly began their work of trying to find the location of the crime lord and reading the information that had been given to them by Akuma-san.

It was around six in the morning that the three of them decided that they would begin their job around midnight, when there were less people awake.

"Wake me up at noon," said Inuyasha as he flopped down on his bed face down. He instantly fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Sango shook her head and giggled, "figures." She went to the bathroom to take a shower. "Don't you dare peek, Nishimura!" she growled out while sending Miroku a deadly glare.

"What made you think I was going to do such a thing?" Miroku chuckled nervously as he walked back towards his bed. _Sometimes, I think my friends are mind readers_, he thought humorously as he thought back on all the time that his friends had made comments about what he was going to do when has not even done it yet, _or am I really that predictable when it comes to perverseness?_

Sango sent him another glare before slamming the bathroom door behind her, rattling some of the things on the wall.

A few seconds later Miroku heard the water running followed by someone humming. He silently chuckled at Sango's cuteness. He shook his head to dismiss the thought as he lied on the bed, _might as well get some sleep before the job tonight._

Half an hour later, Sango emerged from the bathroom completely refresh from her shower. When she did not hear any noise, she looked around the room, only to giggle and shake her head when she saw that Miroku had also fallen asleep. _Boys, _she sighed when all she can hear in the room was the light snoring of the two boys. _Alright, since these two are asleep, I'm going for a walk, _she thought as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door, but not before walking over to Miroku's bed and caressing Miroku's cheek. _He's cute when he's sleeping_, she blushed at the thought before snapping herself out of her staring and snatching her hand away, "sweet dreams," she murmured, kissing Miroku on his forehead before leaving.

"Tch," Inuyasha smirked before closing his left eye and rolling over on his bed to get back to his peaceful slumber filled with a certain raven haired beauty who he would not be seeing that day, _and she said she didn't like him._ _What a bunch of bullshit!_

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango had been fighting with the crime lord's men since they had arrived around midnight. For some reason, it had looked like they had been expecting Inuyasha's group that day. It was very puzzling, and they were not able to be as discreet as they were because the leader of their opponent had a group of five demons, who were able to smell their scent because they had not hidden their scents because they were not expecting there to be any demons since the headquarters had not mentioned about there being one and it was not in their information folder either.

And since their arrival, they had been fighting the lord's men and so far, the fight was a losing battle. They might be three of the best spies in the network, but it did not mean that they didn't have their limits. To top it all off, the flocked of men that were coming from the mansion in front of them had not stop coming. They had somehow managed to get rid of the five demons since they were the first line of defense.

They would have beaten these men easily if it were not for the fact that they had already been injured by the five demons earlier. Their injuries may not be fatal, but the demons had injured Inuyasha on both legs, which slowed him down a lot. While Sango had been injured on her right arm, making her use of her _hiraikutso_ weapon very hard, and Miroku could not even use his spiritual powers due to the fact that their opponents were not demons anymore, and he can't use his _kazaana_ because one of the demons he had sucked in was poisonous. So now, the three of them were very close to their limits.

The number of men that they were fighting was increasing at an alarming rate, and they had managed to separate the three agents from one another making them be in an advantage since the agents can't reach each other to help the other.

Sango had finally reached her limit and was now lying unconscious not too far from the fighting, but safe enough that she would not get hit by any flying bullets, swinging swords, and any other weapon.

On the other hand, Miroku was fighting several men that were coming his way and he could not help but think that it was the end for him. Hundreds of them were coming at him at the same time and he had already lost a lot of energy, not to mention that he had already ran out of bullets and the only thing he had left to defend himself was his staff. One of the men in particular was getting nearer and nearer. He tried his best to dodge and blocked their attacks, but not a moment too long, his staff had been kicked out of his hand and it landed so far away from his reach. The men surrounded him immediately and began laughing at him.

Miroku wiped the sweat from his forehead as he started panting. His clothes were covered in his own blood along with his enemies. He was so tired, all he wanted was to lie down, even for just a moment. The poison must have spread already because of all the moving he did, and his vision was starting to blur. He could not help but glanced at where Sango was lying unconscious.

Inuyasha looked at where his last companion was, only to see that he had been surrounded. He watched in horror as one of the men began shooting his friend and he couldn't do anything about it since he was busy with his own opponents at the moment and he was too far from him to be able to reach him on time. He would have been able to reach him in time if his legs were not injured, but they were, so his demonic speed was lost to him. He growled at the men around him as he attacked them with even more fervor in hopes that he would be finish earlier and would be able to aid his partner in time.

Several guns went off as Miroku closed his eyes and waited for the impact, but they never came. He slowly opened his eyes in deliberation only to see a girl in front of him dressed in a blue leather halter top, blue leather miniskirt with slits on the sides which showed the silver leather short shorts beneath it. She was also wearing silver leather boots that reached about two inches below the knee and it had blue outlining. The girl had her hair in a high ponytail that was tied by a silver and blue ribbon. On the girl's wrists were blue intricately designed silver wristbands that shined when the light of the moon hit it.

Miroku's eyes widened in shock as he saw how fast the girl was swinging her sword to block the bullets coming their way, she was brandishing it too fast that his eyes could barely see it except for when it reflects the moonlight.

When the bullet stopped coming the girl straightened herself and pointed her sword at the man at the very front of the group surrounding them. She narrowed her blue-gray eyes that were covered by a silver mask and said, "Elite Division Agent, Unlimited License, Phoenix, my sword is yours!"

Miroku gasped behind her and looked at the girl in disbelief before passing out.

Meanwhile Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that his friend was safe, thanks to the girl who had showed up out of nowhere, _I wonder who she is, _he thought while glancing at the girl one more time before continuing his battle with the men who had charged at him. He did not hear what the girl had said, so he had no idea that the girl standing before his friend as a wall of protection against the pack of men surrounding her and Miroku was the agent that they had been waiting for.

The men laughed when they saw that it was only a puny little girl who had come to stop them. To think that the so-called ISN unit had sent a little girl to save their agents, _that's a laugh! What were they thinking? _

_Laughed it up_, thought the girl, narrowing her eyes as they wandered from each man in from of her calculatingly. She focused herself to know what the others behind her were doing, so she would not be caught off-guard while also making sure that the agent that she had just saved was out of harm's way.

"Don't tell us that you're the best they could send," taunted one of the men, amusement was obvious in his tone of voice. He had obviously dismissed the fact that the girl had managed to block every bullet shot at her earlier.

When the girl did not answer, they merely glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders in dismissal of her silence. They looked back at the girl and then at one another before charging at once. They did not know what hit them when the girl began moving. She was moving too fast that they could not even see her with their eyes, the only clue that she had been there was the gust of wind where she had been last and the body of dead men as men after men began dropping to the ground, dead. The clang of her sword was the only thing that could be heard as she slashed her opponents. It lasted for another five minutes before she finished all of the men that were attacking her, which was about the same time that Inuyasha finished killing his opponents. It was a surprise that the girl was not covered in blood or her sword.

Inuyasha looked at the girl in awe and wonder, his mouth slightly hanging open while his eyes widened. The girl could not possibly be one of their spies since he had not seen her in one of their bases or in any file. He would have known if she was since he and those in his team knew about everyone and every little thing that goes on around the agency since they were the agents who were in the highest position an agents like them could posses.

Phoenix glanced at the boy uninterestingly before her eyes landed on an escaping helicopter above their heads. Inuyasha was about to call for a helicopter of their own when he saw the other helicopter explode into millions of pieces as the sudden explosion lit up the sky. He jumped out of the way to avoid the debris that were falling and watched as the girl put away what appeared to be a bow, _was she the one who destroyed the helicopter? _He wondered incredulously. His jaw dropping to the ground even more as his eyes moved from the girl and at the place where he had last seen the helicopter.

Phoenix looked at the skeptical agent a few feet away from her. She almost laughed out loud at the faces he was making. She waited a few more seconds trying to see if he would stop with his antics, but when he did not, she sighed in aggravation and teleported from where she was standing to right in front of Inuyasha in the blinked of an eye. She reached out a hand and closed Inuyasha's mouth for him, "it was not that impossible."

Inuyasha snapped out of his little trance when his jaw was snapped back together by the girl. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" he abruptly jumped away from the girl as he realized that she was standing right in front of him when moments ago she was a few feet away from him, "Ugh…" he groaned when the sudden movements caused his leg injuries to throb with pain. _How did she get in front of me too fast? Is she a demon?_ He covertly sniffed the air around, _no, she's not, _he sniffed again before frowning, _What the…?! She has no scent!_

The girl only raised a brow at him, "we should return to the headquarters immediately," she commented with a tone of voice of someone who was commenting about the weather, "you and your comrades need medical attention immediately especially him," she nodded towards where Miroku was lying down.

Inuyasha was still in shock to what has been happening, and the amount of blood he had lost was probably affecting his actions at that moment, because he did not even question the girl about her identity or contact the headquarters about letting in a girl he did not even know into their headquarters as he nodded mutely.

The girl frowned at his lack of verbal response as she flipped her hair and turned on her feet before walking to Miroku's side briskly. He was the most injured since the poison had already spread on various parts of his body. She knelt next to him and before Inuyasha can even blinked, the two of them had disappeared and reappeared next to him with Sango on Kagome's other hand. "Hold on to me," the girl ordered with a no nonsense voice.

The moment he touched her shoulder, they were surrounded by light and the next thing he knew they were at the infirmary of the ISN headquarters. He was able to see as doctors and nurses rushed to them before everything went black.

The day started out like any other day in the infirmary at the ISN headquarters, doctors and nurses were doing their daily routine of checking up on the recovering agents, researching on new viruses, and prescribing medication to the people who worked in the agency who were sick. As far as any of them were concerned, it was an everyday occurrence of doing their jobs, that is, until the infirmary erupted into sudden urgency as three of their best agents dropped to the floor from out of thin air causing some of the people running about to almost jump out of their skin.

The sudden scream of panic caused everyone to run where the commotion was taking place only for them to gasp in horror at what they saw. The three agents were lying unconscious on the floor covered in blood, dirt, and sweat. The blood started staining the white tile floor of the infirmary. "What are you waiting for?!" snapped a voice. They looked up only to see the glaring eyes of Tsuki-san. "Take them to a room and treat them immediately!" she ordered as she started pointing at people and telling them what to do. _How did they get here? _She wondered as she discreetly looked around the room searching for something unusual. It was when the unconscious bodies of the three agents were rolled away that she was able to see a red card with a stamp of the Elite Division seal and an image of a small phoenix. She frowned before picking it up:

**Tsuki-san,**

**I would advise you and your people to treat Nishimura urgently. He has been poisoned due to his decision to use his _kazaana _against a poisonous demon. The poison has managed to spread in several parts of his body due to his movements during the fight. Takahashi and Matsuda are not severely wounded, they have only received a few flesh wounds, far from anything fatal. Although, Matsuda might have a slight concussion due to a blow to the head, and energy depletion and blood loss are the main causes of Matsuda and Takahashi's unconscious state.**

**I shall be watching your agents more closely from now on.**

**The Phoenix, Unlimited License**

**Elite Division**

Tsuki-san looked around the room once again, but she did not see anyone that could be the Phoenix, _so, the Phoenix has arrived after all_. _Thank you,_ she thought in gratitude before informing the doctors that were treating Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku about the state they were in. She pocketed the note, just in case there was a fingerprint on it, but she doubted that there was. Even the words on the note was typed, so there would not be a handwriting they could match with in order to find out who the Phoenix really is, _what did I expect, Elite spies never makes silly mistakes._

Meanwhile, the Phoenix stood on one of the light pole outside the headquarters as she watched the people in the infirmary panic over the three agents. Her eyes lingered on Inuyasha as deep concern filled her being. She had never seen Inuyasha this badly injured since that day, but his injuries then had been a lot worst. As she watched Inuyasha being rolled away from her view, she had to stop herself from teleporting inside the infirmary. After all, she had an identity to keep a secret and until the time comes, she would remain hidden from their view, working in the shadows as she watched over them.

She watched as Tsuki-san found her note and read it. As Tsuki-san started looking around the room and through the window, she disappeared from sight, as a silver feather fell from where she had been standing. There had been no need for her to stay since her mission for that day had been over.

It was dark.

Pitch black like an eternal abyss of darkness.

No one else was there but him.

Everywhere he looked, there was nothing he could find except the darkness that surrounded him.

_Where am I? _he thought with growing unease. He held his arms in front of him in hopes that he would be able to see him, but it was in vain. He could not see anything.

He did not know how long he stood there in the consuming darkness when he suddenly heard it. A voice!

Somebody else was there! He was saved! If only, he could see where it was coming from, "Hello?!" he called out, his voice filled with hope and uncertainty. There was hope that someone was there to help him, but he was uncertain if it was a friend or foe. If only the darkness that surrounded him would go away.

"Mi…Miro….Miroku!" a voice called out, a tone of desperation filling every word. He tried to look around for the voice once again, hoping that he would be able to see who it was. _Call for me again, _he silently begged.

"Miroku! Wake up!" there it was again, this time it was more distinct. It sounded like a voice of a female. Why did she want him to wake up? He was already awake, wasn't he? "Nishimura MIROKU!" An image of a girl with long brown hair and brown eyes flashed before him. Light was surrounding her.

He jumped in surprise. _Sango?! Why is it so dark in here? _He tried to voice out, only to find out that he could not open his mouth. The girl, Sango, held out her hand in front of her as an expectant look came over her face.

He stood there, confuse, for a moment before finally understanding that she wanted him to take her hand. He contemplated for a bit before finally deciding that it was safe to oblige her request. Besides, she might be the only one who would be able to help him get out from the darkness surrounding him. He held her hands and the next thing he knew they were floating upwards.

In the infirmary, Miroku lied on the bed, still unconscious. His friends and Tsuki-san were all in the room including Inuyasha and Sango, who both had finally gained consciousness earlier. Sango was pacing the floor back and forth anxiously. It was a wonder that she has not drilled a hole on the white tiled floor. The rest of her friends had found a place to sit on when they had entered the room and were currently following Sango's movement with their eyes, causing them to start getting dizzy. "Sango!" barked Kouga, his arms crossed in annoyance.

She looked up, but only for a second, before she continued her pacing again.

"If you don't stop pacing, I'm going to tie you on a chair until the pervert wakes up!" He threatened.

Sango sighed, her eyes moving from the floor to look at Kouga and then on Miroku's lying figure on the bed, she bit her bottom lip in worry, "fine," she walked dejectedly to where Ayame and Rin where sitting in hopes that her two best friends would help ease her worries in their comforting embrace.

"He'll be fine," Rin rubbed her arm soothingly.

"I hope so."

"He will," assured Ayame, embracing the girl, "besides this isn't the first time that he pulled something like this."

"Watanabe is right, for once," added Kouga causing Ayame to send him a look full of hate at the obvious insult. "Besides," he sent a glance at the Takahashi brothers, who smirked at him, knowing what he was going to say next, "why are you so worried?" His eyes glittered with mirth, "You're acting like someone who's in love with the pervert."

"I AM NOT!" shrilled Sango, her voice becoming high pitch in denial while her cheeks reddened in anger or embarrassment, they were not sure.

"The redness of your face says otherwise."

The rest of the group sniggered.

"Could you guys quiet down?" muttered a voice, "I'm trying to sleep here." Everyone's head instantly snapped to the bed where they saw that Miroku had finally gained consciousness.

"MIROKU, YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE!" yelled Sango as she rushed to the bed and proceeded with suffocating the patient with her embrace. She was so glad that he was alright. Miroku was quite shock that the girl was hugging him without any prompting. He looked at the others questioningly only to receive looks that were filled with relief and amusement. They all shrugged and chuckled at the stupidity of their friends.

Sango's arms tightened around Miroku as she continued to babble at the crook of his neck on how worried she was. She was definitely acting differently.

Miroku started to turn blue from the lack of oxygen supply due to the tightness of Sango's embrace. "Sa…Sango…I…can't…breath," he rasped out.

"Oh, Sorry!" she loosened her hold on him but she refused to budge from her spot. That is, until she felt the hand rubbing her butt. She shut her eyes in anger while gritting her teeth, telling herself that she must not pummel the patient. Her patience snapped when the hand remained on her butt, "Mi…ro…ku, you pervert!" she hastily jumped back and slapped the pervert on his cheek. The smacking sound resounding in the small room, as the rest of the group quietly laughed to themselves. After sending a glare at Miroku, Sango stalked out of the room.

"We'll be right back!" Ayame and Rin dashed out of the room to console their fuming friend.

"You just had to, didn't you?" Kouga shook his head in pity.

"Idiot," added Inuyasha.

"Stupid," murmured Sesshomaru.

Tsuki-san just sighed in hopelessness. _They'll never change. _

When Sango had finally cooled down and returned to the room with Ayame and Rin, Tsuki-san proceeded to show them the letter that she had found. The seven teenagers gasped in shock and stared at the letter with gaping mouths. They could not believe that the Elite spy was there and they were not able to see her. Miroku proceeded to tell them that it was her who had saved him as he recounted the battle. Once he was done telling them about it, he was met with looks of awe and disbelief except for Inuyasha who had glimpsed at the fight while he was fighting his opponents. He assured them that what Miroku said was true and continued that it was her who had killed the subject with just one shot of an arrow at a flying helicopter.

"That's not possible!" exclaimed Sango, "that's not logical, how can an arrow destroy a helicopter with just one shot! Let alone cause it to explode!"

"It is possible," informed Tsuki-san, "with the right aim and some kind of a magical ability, and even if it was just the right aim and the right arrow. You must remember that the Elite Division's agents are as magically inclined as all of you and that their training has been far more rigorous than your own, especially those who belongs to their Alpha team. Also, the Phoenix holds the unlimited license, that has to say something about her abilities, and the fact that she managed to leave a note and bring the three of you here undetected is quite skillful."

"How did she get you three in here?" inquired Rin.

"She somehow teleported us here," answered Inuyasha.

"She's obviously magic if she can teleport people," added Ayame, "although I always thought that in order for a mage to teleport people, they would require some kind of token to help with the teleportation."

"The Phoenix is not a mage," said Tsuki-san while leaving the room full of confused agents.

When the door closed they proceeded to contemplate everything that they had found out that day including the fact that the Phoenix was a girl. It was very unbelievable, they had expected the best spy of the Elite Division to be a man, but apparently it was a girl who seemed to be the same age as they are according to Miroku and Inuyasha's description.

Tsuki-san had left them a lot to think about especially with the comment she left them with.

**AN:** Please R&R


	4. Chapter 3: Ice Princess Kagome

**Chapter 3:**

_Ice Princess Kagome_

_Red._

_It was all she could see._

_The putrid smell of burning flesh and the stench of blood; a mixture of rust and metallic._

_It was all she could smell._

_Pain-filled cries and agonizing screams filled her ears._

_It was all she could hear._

_Dead bodies littered the crimson snow._

_Humans._

_Demons._

_Mages._

_Elves._

_And in the middle of it all stood a girl about the age of eighteen. Her long white dress was ripped and torn on several places, and instead of being the pure white it used to be, it was now the color of the substance that it was drenched in: blood. Her hair that had been neatly braided was now unraveled and was sticking to her sweat covered face. Her rosy cheeks were now pale and covered with dirt and droplets of blood. On her right was a crystallized sword, but instead of sparkling as it should have been, it was dripping with blood. Blood from the people she had killed. People whom she vowed to protect along with people who had threatened to destroy the people she cherished. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared at her surrounding, at the people whom she had ruthlessly killed without a thought. The tears ran down her cheeks as her body rocked with sobs. Her hold on her sword slackened until she dropped it all together, "what have I done?" she whispered brokenly, dropping to her knees and staring at her hands in disgust as tears continued to roll down her cheeks._

"_A…Angel," called out a broken voice._

_She turned to her right where the voice had come from, and what she saw tore her heart apart into a million pieces and ripped out her soul. The feeling she felt was worse than any physical pain. It was agonizing. "No…" she whispered brokenly while shaking her head in denial, "no," she repeated. The tears began to pour even more, her eyes becoming lifeless as she stared at the golden eyes of her beloved. Eyes that were filled with pain and understanding, she hesitantly reached out her hand to touch him like one who was uncertain on how to touch something so fragile. "I…you…no," she shook her head once more as though hoping that it would somehow rectify what she had done and the image before her would disappear._

_He reached out towards her once more._

_She hesitated only for a moment before she finally held on to his hand._

"_D-don't…cry," he rasped out between pain-filled coughs. Somehow, she had ended up sitting beside his dying body. He reached up to her face and attempted to wipe away her tears, but it was in vain because she refused to stop crying in sadness and hurt. "Angel…please…don't…c-cry…any…anymore."_

_She shook her head and closed her eyes in desperation._

_He caressed her cheeks gently and stared into her tear-filled blue gray eyes._

_She covered the hand on her cheeks with her hand and intertwined their fingers, "no…"_

"_Smile," he requested. She shook her head, "for me?"_

_She hesitantly smiled a tearful smile, it was small, but it was still a smile, a smile that never touched her eyes. _

"_Thank you," he lightly smiled. "I…I…love…you…" His eyes closed as his hand went limp in her hand._

"_NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"she screamed out to the night sky in agony as snow started to fall._

"NO!!!!!!!!!!" Kagome bolted up into a sitting position on her bed. Her eyes were wide while her pupils were dilated as they darted around the room like she was looking for something. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Ojou-sama!"

"Kagome!"

"Nee-chan!" four distressed calls sounded as the door to her room slammed open as two worried bodyguards, one concerned grandfather and younger brother rushed towards the bed.

"What happened?!"

"Are you hurt?!"

"What's wrong?!"

"Why are you crying?!" The two bodyguards started to look around the huge room for an intruder and found none.

"GRANDFATHER!" exclaimed Kagome as she jumped into her grandfather's open arms. She clung to him desperately as she continued to cry. The others looked at one another, wondering what had happened and what they should do.

Higurashi-san enveloped the obviously upset girl in his soothing embrace. He sent the other three a look that told them to leave him and his granddaughter alone. The three nodded and left the room with one last worried glance at the sobbing girl within her grandfather's safety embrace.

He looked at his shaken granddaughter in hopelessness and ran his fingers through her silky hair soothingly while whispering soothing words to calm her down. "There, there, everything is going to be fine. Grandfather is here now."

She burrowed her face on his chest and tightened her hold on her grandfather.

"Won't you tell me what ailed you?"

She murmured something and her grandfather sighed tiredly. He was a man with great power, but at that moment he felt like the most powerless man on earth. He now knew what had happened. It was that dream again. This happened almost twice a week, but it had never been this bad. Kagome usually snapped out of them quite quickly and her crying had never been this bad. He wondered what had happened in her dream, but he doubted that she would ever tell him. She refused to share with him or anyone else the burdens that she held. It was a form of repentance, she had said.

When her sobbing turned into soft hiccups, he sighed in relief and kissed her forehead.

Kagome slowly let go of her grandfather and wiped her tears away. She blew her nose on the tissue that her grandfather gave her and looked at him gratefully, "Thank you," she whispered while looking down on the ground.

Her grandfather looked at her with soft eyes, understanding that the thank you was not for the tissue but for being there when she needed him. He sighed before slowly getting up from the bed, "there is no need to thank me, dear child." He patted her head fondly and walked towards the room, "I shall tell the cook to prepare your breakfast. Your driver and bodyguards should be ready by the time you have finish eating."

Kagome nodded her head to show that she understood. As the door closed to her bedroom, she got up and looked at the clock. It was five in the morning. She lightly smiled at how well her grandfather knew her. He had known that she would not go back to sleep after what had happened and that she would want to leave the house and drive around the city until it was time for school. It had always been her routine whenever she had one of those dreams or nightmares. It was a way of forgetting the pain and the past. _History shall not repeat itself, _with new determination, she walked towards her bathroom and got ready for the day beginning with taking a shower and brushing her teeth. _I hope you are ready._

_**Yes, I am**_, a voice echoed at the back of her head causing her to smile. _Thank you._

At school, Inuyasha and his group of friends along with his brother where sitting under the cherry blossom tree that they hang out at every morning, unless it was raining or extremely cold outside. They were waiting for Kagome to introduce her to Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha glanced at his brother and inwardly chuckled. His brother was not acting like himself. It was just a simple change in his normally stoic face, but since he was family and probably the only one besides his mother and father to see the other side of Sesshomaru, he was able to see the tiny sparkle in his brother's eyes as they waited for Kagome. He was obviously excited to see the girl who he viewed as his little sister once more.

Sesshomaru had to stop himself from grinning like a fool and to not fidget. He was nervous. It has been a long time since he had been able to communicate with Kagome and he hoped that she still remembered him and would still call him _aniki _or _onii-chan _like she had called him when she was little.

They all looked up excitedly when they saw the limo entered the gate and stopped near them. When they saw Kagome got out of the limo, Sango, Rin, and Ayame instantly rushed to their friend with huge smiles on their faces, only to end up standing five feet away from her as Kagome walked passed them dismissively towards the building without even glancing at them or giving them a smile like she usually did every morning before classes started.

They stood there, hurt at the obvious brush off from the person they thought was their good friend, their smiles disappearing and replaced by frowns. Their eyes filled with hurt and disappointment. All three of them were wondering if they had done something wrong. They slowly turned around and stared at the back of Kagome's head in confusion. She was just a few paces away from them when she turned around and looked at them, "Oh, by the way, I wish for you to return the book that I lent you during homeroom." She did not even wait for one of the girls to reply to her as she strode out of the courtyard and into the school building without another backward glance.

The three girls sent each other looks of astonishment, "what.a._bitch_!" exclaimed Ayame in outrage. She could not believe how Kagome was just acting. She acted like they were not even friends, but dirt under her shoes.

Sango and Rin frowned at her vulgar language, which she completely ignored as she stomped back to where the guys were gaping at the scene they had just seen.

"What just happened?" asked Miroku, scratching the back of his neck as the other two girls sat down next to Ayame.

"Why don't you ask Higurashi?!" snapped Sango, her whole appearance said that she did not want to be bothered as she snatched her book bag from the ground and briskly walked to the school building with Rin and Ayame not too far behind.

"Uh…did I miss something?" Miroku looked at the other three guys, hoping that they had the answer.

They shrugged in reply as Inuyasha frowned and stared at the last place that he had seen Kagome. He was hurt that she had not even said hi to him or even made any eye contact. In fact, the moment she got out of the limo, she had not looked at anyone at all. _Did something happen to her while we were away on Friday?_ He wondered. As far as he knew, Kagome was just fine last Thursday before their mission on Friday. Now, he wondered if something had happened on the day that they were not there.

"There's something bothering her," said Sesshomaru as he also picked up his bag from the floor and strode towards the building to his classroom. He will talk to Kagome next time when she was back to acting herself or the next time he see her.

"Here's your book!" snapped Sango as she threw the book on Kagome's desk when she arrived in the classroom. The girl did not even blink as she continued to read whatever she was reading that time nor did she acknowledged Inuyasha and Miroku's presence when they arrived and sat down on their seats.

_I am sorry,_ she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, _but this is the wish of the princess, so this is what I must do. _

All throughout the day, Kagome remained acting like the way she had acted that morning. She ignored Inuyasha and the rest of their friends and acted like she did not know them. In fact, she did not even interact with anyone at all. She did not even talk with anyone; the only time she spoke was when a teacher asked her a question.

At lunch, she just up and disappeared, only to show up during the start of their afternoon classes. Inuyasha had looked for her everywhere in hopes of finding out what was wrong with her. He had hoped that she would be on the rooftop like the first day of school, but she was not there nor was she anywhere in the school when he searched for her.

Later that afternoon, when they were at the Takahashi Mansion for a brief meeting, Sango informed them that she had returned the book to Kagome. They were disappointed when they found out that none of the girls managed to read the book because of the mission that they had found themselves assigned last Friday, and the panic that had spread when Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sango had returned injured.

Rin slumped on the couch and sighed glumly, "I can't believe we're back to square one," she crossed her arms like a petulant child who did not get their way.

Ayame walked over to her and plopped down next to her. She wrapped her arm around Rin and put her head on her shoulder. She glanced at Sango and the others and smiled, "cheer up, Rin! I'm sure that if we look harder, we'll be able to find a good enough clue and find her in no time."

Sesshomaru snorted causing everyone in the room to look by the window, where he was standing. "How will you find someone who doesn't want to be found?"

"What do you mean?" everyone looked at him, confused, with the exception of Inuyasha, who had been there when their father and the rest of their commanders were contemplating why it was so hard to find the princess.

"It's just a theory that father and the rest of the elders were contemplating," said Sesshomaru as a way of an explanation.

"And how did you know this?" asked Miroku with a doubtful expression on his face.

"Inuyasha and I were there during their meeting."

"So, what else did they say?"

"Father was contemplating the idea that the princess may already know that she is the princess, but for some reason she doesn't want to reveal herself yet. Tsuki-san suspected that it might be the reason why we can't find anything at all. They said that there were some documents that just mysteriously disappeared from the ISN archives."

"And what do you think about this idea?" asked Sango.

"Who am I to go against their theories?" He looked each one of them in the eye and continued, "as far as I know it could very well be the truth."

"Inuyasha?" they turned to the youngest Takahashi for his opinion. All of them were wondering why he has not spoken yet since they got back from school. It actually looked like he was sulking about something and they had a pretty good idea on what he was sulking about. One would have to be blind not to seeing as he had been in a sour note since that incident with Kagome and it became even more sour when he could not find her and when she refused to talk with him or anyone else at school for that matter.

It seemed like the heiress had a sudden personality change. It was truly very confusing because they had always thought of her as someone who was very nice and not the stuck-up snob they had figured her to be, but now she acted like she was another person, a very stuck-up person who thought and acted like she is better than anyone.

"I'm going to my room," he responded while walking out of the room. The rest of the group stared after him sadly, thinking of how he must be feeling about what had happened that day. After all, he was the closest to Kagome compared to any of them on the month that they had known her. It was the fastest that they had seen Inuyasha trusted someone. They might even dare to think that he felt something towards the heiress.

"I think we should all go back to our houses and forget about what had happened today," suggested Kouga causing everyone to look at him in surprise. "What?" he barked, "I'm not _that_ stupid!" He crossed his arms and huffed out of the room.

"Hmm, he actually said something smart for a change," said Ayame with a giggle. "Come on, we should do what the idiot suggested." She pulled Rin and Sango to their feet.

"We'll see you tomorrow Sesshomaru," the girls and Miroku left the house.

_Why are you acting this way, _imouto_? _he thought before heading back to his room and finishing his homework for the day.

_**Princess? **_A girl with long raven hair and brown eyes called out through the telepathic bond between them. The girl was looking out into the distance from her balcony.

_**Yes?**_ A girl with long raven hair that almost reached the ground and blue gray eyes with hints of silver replied. She walked out of her balcony and stared at the glistening moon.

_**Are you sure of what you are doing?**_ There was a pause as silence answered her from the other end. _**It's just that, this is causing you to be unhappy…perhaps this is not the best solution to avoid certain events from happening once more.**_

The other girl closed her eyes and sighed, her hands closed into fists as a single tear roll down her cheeks, _**Perhaps, but for now I must do this until I am able to find another way or if I cannot handle it any longer. Heiress, what would you have done? **_

_**The same, **_the heiress laughed without humor as she thought of the irony of it all. They may not be related or born to the same family, the girl let out a laugh of irony, because in a way they were born to the same family, but they are just one and the same. Most people would mistake them as twins when the princess was not in her true form, and that was how they were able to do the things they had been able to do without anyone ever figuring it out. It was also how they were able to hide one of them while the other is out in the open.

The princess joined in her sardonic laughter and thought of the same. _**Perhaps we should have used your name instead. **_

_**Hmm, I believe so, but then there would have been a lot more confusion, and many more memories to be modified. **_

_**That is true, well…**_ she looked at the position of the moon and sighed, _**it is time for you to get to bed and prepare for tomorrow. **_

_**You are right. High school students are a rowdy bunch. **_They both laughed, and this time it was laughs that were filled with mirth.

"Kagome?" called out the voice of her grandfather.

"In here, grandfather," she left the balcony and entered her room.

"Ah, there you are." Kagome raised a brow. "I have been looking for you to make sure that you rest tonight. I just left Kikyo's room to make sure that she would rest as well." The old man let out a sigh and rubbed his temples in distress. "The two of you had been in and out and doing things that should be left for the protectors, and it has been causing this old man much worry."

Kagome smiled and walked over to her grandfather and hugged him. "There is no need for your worry. Everything shall be fine," she reassured, kissing her grandfather on the cheek and walking over to her bed. With one last smile to her grandfather, she bid him good night and lied down on her bed.

Higurashi-san just shook his head helplessly and walked out of the room, _what am going to do with you two, _he thought while a smile replaced the frown on his face. "Good night," he whispered while softly closing the door.

The next day was not any different than the day before. In fact, the air around Kagome was colder than the day before. No one dared to approach the heiress, not even the teachers, at least, not after she had glowered at one of the teacher and stalked out of the room and skipping her classes for the day.

Everyone was in utter shock about Kagome's sudden attitude change. According to some students, the change in Kagome's attitude only happened the day before, and Inuyasha and his group of friends did not find out anything that might have happened when they were not there. To everyone at the school, it seemed like a button had been pressed and had given them the ice princess that was now Kagome.

The ice princess attitude continued on, and as the days passed by, Inuyasha became more withdrawn from his friends and family. They would sometimes see him either gazing at Kagome longingly or gazing pensively into space.

It had been a week since Kagome became withdrawn to everyone and Inuyasha finally snapped. He could not take it anymore! All week, he had been thinking of different reasons of why Kagome was ignoring everyone and acting like the complete snob towards everyone, but he could not come up with anything that might have caused the change in her, and he was seriously very much sick of it. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had missed the calming presence of the girl and her soothing laugh and smile. So when the dismissal bell rang that afternoon, Inuyasha rushed out of the classroom and stood outside the building waiting for Kagome to come out.

Kagome was walking out of the building when she was suddenly grabbed by someone and surrounded by full masculinity. She looked up, only to see that it was Inuyasha. She lightly frowned when she found out that she could not leave his presence because he had his hands on either side of her head. His closeness was causing her to be uncomfortable, _ah…okay, move weird boy, _she thought pleadingly, her eyes darting around everywhere, but at Inuyasha's eyes, which were intensely glaring at her. Her eyes landed on a silhouette of a girl standing on top of a nearby clock tower and her eyes narrowed in annoyance when she heard an amused giggle at the back of her head. _Sure, she's enjoying this…__**if you wouldn't mind, can you make your lover boy move away from my person? **_She growled out telepathically. Her eyes remained focus on the figure in the distance, whose long raven hair danced with the wind. She could just imagine the amusement dancing in her eyes as she watched what was happening to her at that moment. She was barely aware that Inuyasha was saying something.

The other girl giggled, _**why, it is quite enjoyable to watch you struggle for a change and I cannot control a human's actions and will. **_

_**Sure you can't. **_

_**And besides, Hiro**__**is also finding this quite amusing.**_A figure of a boy suddenly appeared next to the girl. The boy had long black hair that was braided at the nape of his neck and brown eyes that was laughing at the scene before them as he floated next to the princess, who was currently in her guise, so her hair had shorten a bit and her eyes had turned brown.

_**Sometimes, I wish that the two of you are more jealous. **_This time she heard two laughter at the back of her head causing her to glower at the figures.

_**If one lived as long as we have, one learns many important things such as to control certain emotions. One of which is jealousy, besides if there is trust then there is no need for such a petty emotion. **_

_**Yeah, yeah, you and your lectures that are filled with wisdom are quite tiresome. **_

"Are you even listening to me?!" demanded Inuyasha, slamming his fist to the wall next to Kagome's head.

Kagome glanced at him and then went back to staring at whatever she was looking at behind him causing Inuyasha to frown, "and what are you looking at, anyway?!" He quickly turned around and followed Kagome's gaze causing him to miss the flash of panic in Kagome's eyes, which disappeared instantly when she saw the two figures materialized into nothing.

_**We are not as incompetent as to be caught so easily, **_the princess admonished. She could just picture the look of disapproval on her face.

Inuyasha frowned when he did not see anything.

"Unhand me, Takahashi-san," her voice was stone cold along with her eyes.

The two stood by the wall and glowered at one another, and it was when they were glaring at each other that Inuyasha realized something. _There's something different about her, and I don't mean her attitude._ The murmured words of his demon half caused Inuyasha to move away from Kagome and to let her walk away from him. "You're not her," he whispered causing Kagome to stiffen and to abruptly turn around to face Inuyasha, who was already walking away from her.

Her forehead creased with worry as she stared at Inuyasha's back. _Could he have possibly figured it out? _She turned around and walked to the waiting limousine parked near the gate, all the while thinking about what Inuyasha had said. _But how? _She nodded at her bodyguards in greeting and proceeded to enter the limousine. Veronica shut the door of the limousine once she had entered the vehicle. She told the chauffer to head to the Higurashi Manor. _He can't have known, _Kagome reassured herself. She thought for awhile before finally deciding that she would tell the princess about what had happened at once, that is, if she did not already know, _after all, she has a way of knowing everything. _With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes in relaxation and listened to the murmured conversation of her bodyguards.

"That's unsettling," The boy from earlier crossed his arms and stared at the two girls in front of him. His eyes moved from one girl to the next, waiting for one of them to come up with a plan. _Hmm, the likeness of their appearances is still unsettling too. The princess should remain in her true form when they are in the same room. _

The two girls looked at each other and had to hold back their giggles at the look of confusion that was settling on the boy's face in front of them. They had a very good idea on what he was thinking, and they would bet that the confusion on his face was not the cause of what the Higurashi heiress had just said. _**Maybe we should stop playing with his head, **_the heiress looked at the princess.

_**Hmm, perhaps you are right, but it is far too amusing not to**__, _the princess giggled inwardly. _**You would think that after all this time, he would be able to tell us apart when I am in this form**_**.**

_**You have too much faith in a boy's ability to think. **_

The princess shrugged. "Bankotsu, I am the princess and that is your lover," she motioned at the other girl next to her.

Bankotsu sighed in relief and rubbed his forehead. "Thank you."

The two girls giggled.

"Back to business," Kagome straightened herself and looked at Bankotsu and the other girl. "It is as I have feared. Inuyasha's demon half has awakened, and his premature awakening is causing Inuyasha to know certain things that he must not. Kikyo, you saw the way he had been acting all week."

The other girl, now known as Kikyo, nodded in agreement. "What do you think we should do?"

"A visit from the princess is what he needs," Kagome smirked and looked at Kikyo and Bankotsu meaningfully. The other two returned her smirk.

"His demon half is about to get a rude awakening," Kikyo got up from her seat along with the other two.

"Good luck," called out Bankotsu as the three of them disappeared from the spot they were standing on, replaced by a feather, a diamond, and a scale.

Two people stood in the middle of a meadow that was surrounded by cherry blossom trees. All the trees were in complete bloom, which was weird because it was not the season for cherry blossom trees to be blooming. Some of the Sakura petals that had fallen were dancing with the wind around the two figures.

Instead of being winter and the ground being covered by snow, it was the complete opposite, as though it was the middle of spring and every flower that were in the meadow were in complete bloom. There were bunnies jumping around while some were hiding under some bush. Butterflies, bees, and birds were flying around and doing their own thing. The air was very fresh, no hint of the pollution that had been present in the present time since the emergence of many technologies and machineries. In fact, the freshness of the air and the surrounding area felt like it was from a different era, an era when there was no huge buildings, cars, planes, buses, or anything that may cause such pollution or noises. In fact, there was no artificial sound at all, every sound that the two figures could hear was the sound of nature: birds chirping, a running water somewhere in the distance, and some animals doing what they do.

One of the figures was a young man with long silver hair that fluttered behind him, instead of his sclera being white, it was red and his irises were blue. He had blue stripes on his cheeks and fangs were protruding from his mouth. He did not have normal ears; he had dog ears atop his head that twitched every time he heard a noise, and instead of having normal nails, he had claws. He was obviously a dog demon.

The other was a young woman with long raven hair that almost reached the ground that was swaying with the wind and blue gray eyes with hints of silver. She was dressed in a long white gown that fitted her perfectly. Her eyes were gently staring at the demon before her, "Inuyasha." It was softly uttered and would not cause anyone to be startled, but when the dog demon heard it, his body stiffened and caused him to look up abruptly. His heart began to beat rapidly and his breathing picked up.

"Princess?" the word was uttered by someone who did not quite know if what they were seeing was real or a hallucination that their mind has made up in order to appease one's conscious.

She lightly nodded her head and smiled.

He slowly walked towards her, his usually confident strides were gone and replaced by small strides filled with uncertainty. He found it quite unbelievable that his mate was standing before him after all the time that he had not seen or felt her. They were just a few inches away from each other when he halted in his steps. The feeling of uncertainty strengthened within him as he stood there in front of the princess. It might have shown on his face because the next thing he knew, the princess was caressing his cheek, "what is the matter?" She cocked her head to the side and looked at his eyes.

He closed his eyes, basking in the feel of her soothing touch. It had been a few thousand years since he had last felt her touch. A plethora of feelings swept over him, threatening to fill him to the brim and make him explode. He enveloped the small hand that was caressing his cheek with his much larger hand. He intertwined their fingers together and pulled her towards him as his other hand circled around her waist. "Please tell me that this is not just a dream," he murmured. His voice cracking from the overwhelming feeling of exhilaration and the sob that he refused to let out. He nuzzled his head at the crook of her neck and inhaled her sweet scent that had always managed to sooth him.

Her other hand clung to his shirt as though it were her lifetime. She had almost forgotten how it felt to be held in his arms and how she had missed the feeling of security she felt whenever she was in his arms. A tear rolled down her cheeks as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck. "It is not a dream," she reassured. Her voice muffled. She felt wetness on her neck, "are you crying?"

"No."

In spite of it all, she smiled before letting out a giggle. "You have not changed." She lightly pulled away and looked up at him, his hold on her had slackened to allow her to look up at his much taller frame, but he did not let go of her altogether, afraid that if he did, she would disappear from him once again.

"Is it a problem?" he finally smiled, reassured that she would not disappear from him again. He sat down on the grassy meadow and pulled her to sit on his lap. His arms circled around her waist while hers circled around his neck.

She giggled, "no."

"Thought so," he smirked and kissed her on her forehead.

Silence enveloped them as they basked at the glow of the sun and relished the feeling of being together once more.

"Inuyasha."

"Hmm?"

"I wish to speak with you about something." The seriousness in her voice caused him to look at her and his hold to slacken.

"What is it?" he prompted when she did not continue.

"I…" she looked down. She was nervous about what she was going to ask him to do next.

Seeing her hesitating, he frowned in concern. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her head to look at him. When he saw that her eyes were refusing to meet with his, he murmured, "princess, look at me." She did. "Whatever it is that you are going to ask me, I promise not to overreact."

"Promise?" her eyes were doubtful.

"Promise."

She sighed, "I wish for you to stop prodding your half-demon self to remember the past." When she saw his frown, she hurriedly added, "not that I do not wish for you to remember everything and to be with you as soon as possible. It's just that there are certain things that I am afraid of happening again." Her eyes showed her fears and worries. Tears were brimming in her eyes, as she stared at him pleadingly.

He instantly understood what it was that she was afraid of, and he could not find any words that would reassure her that history shall not repeat itself. He sighed, he could never refuse her anything, especially seeing her so worried about it, "very well," he voiced out begrudgingly.

She smiled and hugged him, "thank you," she whispered, "I promise to sort out everything as quickly as I can and then I shall allow you to tell him everything, but for now please be rest assured that I am safe and well."

He hugged her back, "promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"You shall be her tomorrow."

"But—"

"—if you do, I will promise to uphold my promise and to not tell him about what has been transpiring this past week."

"Fine," she grudgingly promised, "if I did not love you as much as I do…"

He chuckled and pressed his lips to her temple.

"I must go now."

"So soon?" His arms tightened around her.

"Yes, my guardians wish for me to rest, and due to the promise you made me do, I shall need to have an early rest."

"They are still as annoying as ever." There was laughter in his eyes as he thought of her guardians.

She giggled, "yes, she is quite like her mother."

They both stood up and with promises to see each other again, Inuyasha's demon half watched as the girl he loved disappeared from his view, leaving him in that meadow of total perfection.

"I assume it went well?" asked Bankotsu.

Kikyo looked at him and rolled her eyes, "what do you think?"

Kagome giggled as she looked at them.

Bankotsu looked at them and when he saw the smile that refused to leave Kikyo's face as she looked at Kagome, who was staring happily into space, he could not help but think that everything was finally okay.

_**Are you ready for tomorrow? **_

_**No, but I shall be by afternoon, so if you will.**_

_**Understood, but he won't be happy with this. **_

_**He shall live. **_

"You know, Inuyasha, if there's something you want to ask me, you know you can." Sesshomaru flipped a page from the book he was currently reading as he sat in his study. When he heard no answer, he looked up to Inuyasha, who was leaning on the doorframe of his study with his arms crossed. He stared at him for a minute before motioning him to sit on the leather couch not too far away from his table.

Inuyasha sighed and flopped down on the couch. "Sess, you knew Higurashi since she was little, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, you would say that you know her personality."

"Yes, I would."

"Was she nice and friendly or stuck up and bratty when she was little?" he flipped over onto his stomach and stared at Sesshomaru.

There was silence as Sesshomaru thought about his days with Kagome.

"Well?" Inuyasha prodded, his impatience getting the better of him.

"She was very nice and friendly when she was little. I've never seen her act the way she is acting now when she was little, but there were times that I thought she was acting like a different person. It was just a few moments, but there were times when she acted more introverted and composed compared to her usually bubbly personality." He paused. "Why are you asking?"

"Nothing, there was just something different about her today." His brow furrowed as he looked up at the ceiling, thinking about what had happened that afternoon. _Why did I say 'you're not her?'_ it was like a part of him knew something that he did not.

"You might be right. I felt that feeling too," Sesshomaru gazed thoughtfully at his desk, "I always thought that some part of her changes when there is something bothering her."

The Takahashi brothers spent the rest of the night contemplating about the mystery that was surrounding the heiress of the Higurashi family. Both of them concluded that there was something different about Higurashi Kagome, and it was not just her attitude change, but her whole presence and actions. They shared their theories about what may be bothering the heiress, as they pondered ways to confront her, or for Inuyasha to confront her since she has not formally met Sesshomaru yet since she got back. As they continued to talk about Kagome, they did not notice the presence of someone standing right outside the window of Sesshomaru's study listening to everything they said and smiling amusedly at what he or she was hearing.

The person was very confident that the brothers would not be able to figure out anything until they were ready to know about everything. The mystery surrounding the heiress must remain a mystery as long as everything was to remain in the shadows. There would come a time when all should be revealed, and until that time, the brothers and their friends would continue to remain in the dark about everything that was taking place behind their back.

The person smiled, they did not even know that there had been a fight earlier that week involving a group of demons, all of whom were beaten by the Phoenix, who happened to have been fighting demons that were appearing all over the place before the ISN leaders knew about them. It was mostly the reason why the Takahashi brothers and his friends had not been given a new mission. They had everything under control at the moment, so there was no need to let the ISN spies worry about something that they are not ready to face yet. In fact, the Phoenix should be dropping in really soon to command them to train more. The person was sure that they would be appalled by that request, but the brothers and their friends need to be ready before they would be able to meet the princess and know the true identity of the Phoenix and the heiress.

At the Matsuda house, Sango was sitting awake in front of her computer as she looked up things that might lead to any clue to the princess, even though she had been searching every database she could think of for any information and she had not found anything. When her thoughts turned back to the book that she had in her position for two days, she growled out in frustration, and could not help but think herself incompetent for not reading the book before her, Inuyasha, and Miroku had done the mission. She should have read the book while Inuyasha and Miroku were sleeping instead of walking around town. If she had, they would not be back to where they had started. At least they might have found out something if she had read the book. Her expression turned sour when her thoughts lead her to the confrontation that had happened between her, her friends, and Kagome, _I still don't understand why she's acting like she is now. _ She messed up her hair in frustration and looked up at the ceiling. Images of Kagome's blank stare and her brush off of them running in her mind over and over again like a broken record, "why did you pick now…" The book flashed in her mind again. "Ugh, I hate this." She dropped her head on her desk with a loud thud, and ended up repeatedly smacking her head on the table in frustration.

Ayame and Rin were talking on the phone about everything that had been happening to them. They were currently more focus on the identity of the Phoenix since her appearance was the only thing exciting that had happened to them for that month. The search for the princess had been put on hold by the commanders due to their theory that the princess might not want to be found. Tsuki-san and the other three commanders had taken over the research for that moment. "I still can't believe that the Phoenix is a girl," commented Rin as she lied on her back on her comfortable queen size bed.

"Yeah, I know." Ayame was sitting in the living room. "I bet that the guys didn't take that too well."

The two girls giggled while picturing the four conceited guys on their team taking orders from a girl who apparently had a higher rank than any of them.

"I wonder who she is though…Even the commanders and the tech people couldn't find any trace of anything from that note that she sent us."

Ayame shrugged, forgetting that Rin could not see her. "Whoever she is, she's good."

"Yeah."

The two girls continued to talk about other mundane things except for what they really wanted to talk about, and that was Kagome. They did not want to ruin their night by talking about Kagome and how much she has changed. If they did not know any better, they would have said that the girl who had been at their school was not Kagome, but a different person. They still found it hard to believe that such a sweet person could change so much and turn into such an ice princess.

Miroku was already fast asleep on his bed dreaming about being surrounded by girls in a hot tub.

Kouga was snoring away on his bed without a care in the world.

Standing atop Tokyo tower was the Phoenix, she was on her nightly patrol since she had came to Japan. It was part of the reason why the ISN spies had not been in too much mission, because she had been taking care of everything along with two of her new companions. One of which had been awoken from his slumber, the other had been with her since their birth. But at the moment, after much convincing and pleading with them to not patrol that night, the two of them had finally obeyed her request that they rest that night. Besides, she did not feel any disturbances and Kikyo did not feel anything either, so her patrol that night was just a precaution.

_Maybe we should not have hidden the fact that there had been many demons that had been willing to take over the human realm, _she thought. Her eyes landed on a far away mansion that was almost as big as the Higurashi Manor. She let out a sigh of regret, thinking about how the ISN spies might be slacking. _I will just have to do something about that. _She smirked as she thought of something that would surely make sure that Inuyasha and his friends would be ready by the time that _he _attacks. _A small visit to the ISN headquarters is due. _

The next day when Inuyasha saw Kagome, he did not quite know why he was growling, but he was. The moment he sat down on his seat, he growled at Kagome and the feeling of anger washed over him. However, the girl seemed to know what was wrong with him because she had smirked and had given him a look that held understanding, and there was something there too. A hint of amusement perhaps? It was very confusing since she had not shown any emotion towards him or any of his friends, but that day, it looked like she was paying attention to him and was actually reacting back. When his growling did not cease, Kagome turned around on her seat with that annoying smirk on her face that seemed to be taunting him. Once Kagome met his glare, the smirk on her face grew and her eyes sparkled with mirth, she raised a brow and said, "Down boy, you'll get what you are expecting after lunch." She turned back around and faced the board.

He cocked his head to the side in confusion on what she had just said. He had absolutely no clue on what she was talking about, but somehow that stopped his growling and the feeling of anger was replaced by relief, relief for what? He did not know, but his subconscious seemed to know what she was talking about.

When he looked to his side, he caught Miroku's eyes, who was watching the interaction between him and Kagome. Miroku glanced at him and then at Kagome and then back at him, before raising a brow in question. Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders and stared at the back of the most confusing girl he had ever known.

"So, you are here."

Inuyasha was sitting on the rooftop during lunch, thinking about nothing in particular when he was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice. He turned around and his jaw dropped at what met his eyes; there, standing before him was Kagome, and instead of looking at him with a blank look, she was actually smiling at him.

He stared at her for what seemed like forever, not believing that she was actually there and smiling at him. While he was glad that she seemed to be finally back to her old self, he did not show any emotion on his face, which caused Kagome to be uncomfortable as she stood there in front of him while he scrutinized her.

It seemed like an eternity to Kagome when he spoke, "so you finally decided to talk to me again." His words were more of a statement than a question. He turned away from her.

Kagome winced at his harsh words, but did not say anything since it was partly true, but she had a very good reason for doing what she did. She only wished that he would forgive her in time.

Inuyasha silently waited for a reply from her; an explanation for her behavior for the past two weeks. When he did not get any, he sighed silently in disappointment, thinking that the girl had already left.

He was utterly surprised when he felt someone sit next to him, "I apologize," the murmured words was very pathetic. It was very soft and so innocent that he had to soften his heart and his decision to ignore her like she had ignored him died instantly especially when he looked at her, and saw her apologetic face.

The two of them stared at each, each trying to read the expression on the other. For some reason, something inside Inuyasha was very pleased, _she's back_, he did not know exactly what that thought meant, but it pleased him causing a small smile to appear on his face.

When Kagome saw the smile on his face, everything inside her seemed to melt and her whole being felt at ease. At least now she knew that he had forgiven her, if only just a little.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" his eyes were searching as he stares at her.

She closed her eyes and looked away from him, "I…" she sent him an apologetic look before looking away again, "I…I cannot."

He sighed, disappointed.

"You shall know in time," she mumbled, not knowing that he had heard her. The enigmatic words left him wondering what she was talking about. "I cannot tell you at the moment. The only thing that I am allowed to divulge at the moment is that it was something that had happened in my past," she stared at him with beseeching eyes, eyes that he could not refuse anything to, _"and my behavior was to protect people who are precious to me,"_ she added under her breath.

_**Princess, are you okay? **_

_**No, but I shall be in time. **_

_**Should we?**_

_**It is not necessary anymore. I feel more at ease when I am able to see them closely. **_

_**Very well. **_

_**Classes shall be starting soon for you. **_

_**Yes.**_

_**I shall talk to you soon. **_

When Kagome came back to reality, she found herself looking at Inuyasha, who was looking at her like she was a very interesting science specimen. "Yes?"

His eyes narrowed in scrutiny, "Nothing, I've been calling your name many times and you didn't reply. You just zoned out completely."

"Forgive me."

"Don't worry about it, anyways, classes are about to start." He stood up and walked over to the door. He stopped before he was able to leave completely and gave her an impatient look.

Kagome smiled a little at his impatience before doing what he wanted. The two of them headed to class together with Inuyasha slightly ahead of Kagome with his longer strides.

Sango, Rin, Ayame, and Miroku were conversing among themselves when they suddenly stopped talking all at once and sat there gaping as Inuyasha, followed by Kagome, walked through their classroom door. They could instantly tell that something had taken place between those two because of the change in Inuyasha's mood. The change in him may not be noticeable for their other classmates, but for someone who had known him for almost all his life, they could easily see that Inuyasha was no longer moping. In fact, his eyes seemed brighter, and the shadow of sadness was no longer there. There might not be a smile on his face, but his eyes told it all and the lost of his tensed shoulder. His walk seemed lighter, freer.

"Hello," murmured Kagome as she passed by them, her voice was very soft and filled with uneasiness.

_She should feel uneasy_, thought the girls in contempt, still remembering how Kagome had acted towards them for the past couple of days. They all raised a brow, daring her to tell them why they should talk to her. When they saw that she was not going to say anything else, they turned to one another and proceeded to talk.

Kagome sighed and turned away, _I guess I deserved that_.

Miroku smiled at the girl in sympathy. Those three girls can really hold a grudge. Kagome returned the smile before looking away. She was broken away from her thoughts by a crumpled paper landing on her desk.

She stared at it for second while tilting her head to the side in curiosity, before finally deciding to open it. Inside was a note saying:

Just give them time. They'll forgive you in time.

She glanced around the room, wondering who had sent her the note. Since there were only two people in the room that knew what was going on and had gone on, she glanced behind her at the two boys sitting there. Miroku was not looking at her, so it obviously was not him. _Of course, _she inwardly smiled to herself, _he might not remember, but…_her eyes seemed to glitter when they landed on the boy sitting right behind her, Inuyasha, the boy who was currently looking at her with soft eyes, _he shall always be the same_. 'Thank you,' she mouthed in gratitude, smiling, she turned back around and faced the front as the teacher came in and started class. _But I really should not. _

_**I'm sorry, princess. **_

_**I am fine. **_

_**Everything shall work out in the end. **_

_**I know. **_

_**Class is starting, I should go. **_

_**I shall see you later.**_

Kagome sighed, thinking about how hard it was to be a Higurashi heiress and a constant companion to the princess, but Bankutso and Kikyo would disagree. If they managed to hear her thoughts at that moment, they would instantly tell her that being the princess was much more tiring and that being the Higurashi heiress and constant companion to the princess was something to be honored. Though, that is only because they were both biased, she supposed.

"Higurashi-san, would you kindly get up from your seat and solve this problem on the board?" Their math teacher demanded while looking so smug, thinking that the young heiress had not been paying attention at all to the lecture.

Kagome inwardly laughed to herself, a spy can rarely be caught off guard and especially those who were considered as an elite. Besides, even if she was not paying attention to the teacher, which she was (what's good in knowing how to multi-task or being a spy if you would not use it in all instances?), she had already learnt this subject along with all of the classes she was taking in Cromwell Academy. Being a spy did have its perks, one of them was being advance in studies, so when you were asked to do a mission that involves being in high school, then there was really no need to worry about a simple test and homework.

The rest of the day was the same as any other. Kagome talked to Inuyasha and Miroku about random things as the three girls continued to ignore her in between classes.

When the bell rang for class, Inuyasha was about to talk to Kagome when he was suddenly pulled by three girls out of the classroom, which just happened to be his friends who were currently being stubborn, "Let's go," snapped Sango as she, Rin, and Ayame continued to drag him out of the classroom. He could only watch helplessly at Kagome while he was being dragged away.

"Sorry about that," said Miroku, scratching his head sheepishly before waving his goodbye to the girl. "We'll see you around."

"I understand." Kagome smiled at him as she watched him ran to catch up with his friends. _This is harder than I thought, but it seems as though the plan has been successful. _With that last thought in mind, Kagome grabbed her belongings and left the classroom.

"Why'd you do that?" growled out Inuyasha, glaring at his three girl friends.

"We did not want to stand there waiting for you while you talk to that girl. Besides, how are you so sure that she's not just playing you or us again?" Sango replied, while walking briskly out of the school.

Inuyasha was about to say something else when he was rudely interrupted, "hey, what's going on over there?" questioned Rin, always the curious one.

"The Higurashi limo," answered Sesshomaru as he and Kouga joined their friends.

"So?"

"Rin, if you would let me finish, you'll know the answer more quickly."

"Hmph!"

"As I said, the Higurashi limo arrived and this guy came out."

"You mean a really hot guy came out," interrupted Ayame, her voice sounding dreamy, "Mmm, yummy."

"Huh?" her friends chorused. They all looked back at Ayame, only to see that she had stopped walking and was staring at where the crowd was, which they noticed were all girls. The girls were being pushed back slightly by the bodyguards, who had all suddenly lined up, allowing Inuyasha and his friends to see who Sesshomaru was talking about.

When their eyes landed on whatever it was that had caught Ayame's attention, the other two girls instantly turned dreamy while the rest of the guys just stared at the guy in the middle of the ruckus in confusion. "He is fine," said Sango while the other two girls murmured in agreement.

"And that is why there is a huge crowd over there," pointed out Sesshomaru while Miroku and Kouga felt contempt towards the guy, the reason behind their reaction to the guy was baffling to them and it certainly did not have anything to do with the fact that Ayame and Sango were both drooling over him.

All of them were snapped out of their thoughts and daydreams from the girls when the guy yelled, "KAGOME, OVER HERE!" as he brandished his arms quite excitedly.

They turned to where he was looking at only to see Higurashi Kagome walking out of the school building. They watched as her whole face seemed to light up when she saw the guy. To their surprise, the usually reserved girl, who always acted with such poise, "BANKUTSO!" yelled and ran towards the guy's open arms like a very excited child who finally got what he or she wanted and jumped into his arms. The guy twirled her around as the two of them laughed joyously. When the guy finally set down Kagome, they proceeded to hug each other with the smiles not disappearing on their faces. Based on what they had just seen, it was very obvious that the two of them were very close and deeply cared for each other.

As they watched the scene before them, Sesshomaru and his friends watched as Inuyasha's eyes narrowed in contempt and a growl of protectiveness aroused from deep within him. Sesshomaru put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder to stop him from going over to where Kagome and the guy were talking. "Inuyasha," he intoned in warning.

Inuyasha instantly stopped growling as he blinked a couple of times, "w-what?" He shook his head and focused on his friends, who were all staring at him with interest. "What happened?"

"Dude, you just started growling for no reason!" exclaimed Kouga, clapping Inuyasha on his back.

Inuyasha sent him a glare while the rest of the group stared at Kouga.

"What?!"

"Oh my gush! How thick can you get?!" Ayame rolled her eyes and walked off while the rest of them shook their head and followed her lead.

"Stupid."

"Idiot."

"Moron."

"Fool."

"Retard."

Kouga stood there for a moment, soaking in everything that his friends had just said, before his eyes narrowed and shouted, "HEY! I am not!" He ran after them while growling as his friends laughed at him.

Bankutso and Kagome watched as Inuyasha and the rest of their group left the school building. "I think someone was jealous," murmured Bankutso to the girl within his embrace.

Kagome's eyes softened as they settled on Inuyasha's retreating back. "That is not funny," she replied.

He smirked and let go of the girl as he followed her gaze to the back of the half-demon. _He needs to be prepared for what is coming to him, _he thought. "I shall hope that he would be ready for the test for the princess's sake and his."

"He shall be," whispered Kagome. They turned back around and headed for the limousine as the bodyguards surrounded them in their protective box.


	5. Chapter 4: New Students

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or the Inuyasha charaters, they are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. The plot of this story, however, is mine.

**Chapter 4: **

_New Students _

"Tsuki-san," the Phoenix addressed within the safety of the shadows as the old woman entered the room.

Tsuki-san glanced at one of the corner of the room closest to the window before proceeding to her desk and sitting down, "ah…Kagome-ojou-sama, what do I owe for this visit?"

The Phoenix walked out of the shadows to reveal Kagome in her school uniform. She slowly walked towards Tsuki-san's desk and smiled at the old woman. "I have come here to talk only of business."

"As you have always done," Tsuki-san stated, her eyes focusing intensely at the young woman in front of her. It had been a huge surprise when she found out that the Phoenix, who was the pride and joy of the Elite Division, was actually the esteemed heiress of the Higurashi line. To think that someone who looked so vulnerable and innocent was the top assassin and spy of the Elite Division, who held the unlimited license, was truly remarkable. It was the perfect disguise. No one would ever think that someone who has always been protected by everyone around her was actually the one who was most capable in protecting the various lives around her. She felt truly honored to be entrusted with this secret. As far as she knew she was the only one who knew the identity of the Phoenix apart from the Higurashi family and those of the Elite Division. She could still remember it quite clearly.

It had been right after making sure that Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango had been taken to their room and she had returned to that very office, only to find a girl dressed in blue and silver leather miniskirt and top with a mask covering half of her face sitting behind her desk.

"_Tsuki-san," the girl had addressed her like the way she had addressed her earlier._

_Still startled by the girl's presence, she had not been able to reply at first as she stared at the girl, who she believed without a doubt was the Phoenix the moment she had entered the room and had seen the emblem of the Phoenix and the Elite Division crest on the right side of her top. She had also wondered how the Elite agent had managed to get in the room without anyone noticing her. _

"_Phoenix." It was a statement, not a question, "what did I owe you for this visit?" she had also uttered at the time. _

_The girl had tilted her head to the side as she stared at Tsuki-san. "Hmm, you are indeed worthy." That was the only thing she had said before she pulled down her mask and revealed the face of the Phoenix. _

_She had gasped and had stared quite unbelievably at the person who could only Higurashi Kagome. _

_Kagome had smiled and happily uttered, "surprise!" causing Tsuki-san to stare at her a moment before laughing. _

"_I am honored that you have chosen me with this secret." _

"_It was only a matter of time, Lady Kaede."_

Kaede shook herself out of her stupor and looked at the girl in front of her, "so what can I do for you this time?" she asked. Since Lady Kaede found out about the Phoenix's identity, she had been secretly meeting with the young woman and had been following her orders.

"I assume that the princess's will had been carried out?"

"Yes, it has," Kaede looked at the young woman in front of her who stood with much confidence and wisdom. She may only be sixteen, but within the depths of her eyes was a wisdom of someone how had lived in this earth since the beginning of time, "but what is it causing you and the princess, I wonder," she added, eyeing Kagome with speculative eyes.

Kagome sighed and looked away from the older woman, "sacrifices must always be made."

"Yes, but it is usually made by those who are not the ones to be protected."

Kaede hoped that the intense look that she was giving Kagome would make the young woman cave from her resolve and at least tell her more of what she and the princess were planning. It was a dead give a way that Kagome knew who the princess was when she asked her to do something that the princess had wished her to do, which was to stop the search for her. But she would have to be disappointed because her stare did nothing to Kagome's resolve. In fact, it actually caused Kagome to smile inwardly when she saw what Kaede was trying to do, "I am afraid that your method is rather ineffective."

Kaede sighed hopelessly, "It was worth a try."

"Yes, indeed it was. I am certain that it is quite effective to you subordinates," she assured, "and as to what you have said before. The princess and myself, as the heiress, have fully agreed that the only sacrifices that will be made our those of ours, and if it were to be left on the princess alone, then I am truly sure that she would make sure that I would not end up sacrificing much." It seemed that by the end of her speech, Kagome's resolve about something had strengthened even more. Kaede could only guess at what it was, but she would never fully know what was going between the princess and the heiress.

_You would think that I would be able to know more about what is going on within the Higurashi household because of my rank, but as it is, I have been left in the dark along with everyone else by those who we were suppose to protect, _though Kaede. Her one good eyes deeply assessing Kagome, _what are you and the princess planning? _"Ojou-sama, you and hime-sama must remember that there are people behind you, who were assigned to protect you and her, so if you or the princess need any help then do not hesitate in asking for it."

"Understood," said Kagome, images of everyone important to her and the princess flashing before her eyes. She headed for the window, which Kaede realized was already opened, to leave but before she jumped out of it, Kagome looked back, "I have almost forgotten, but there is one other request I have come here for."

"That is?"

"I wish for you to arrange a meeting between me and the agents who I am to work with." For some reasons unknown, Kagome's eyes brightened in mirth, which to Kaede was perplexing because she could not find what she was amused by, and a smile had appeared on Kagome's face. "There is something that I must say to them personally."

"When?"

"Tomorrow," and with those final words, Kagome disappeared from Tsuki-san's office, not even waiting to hear what Tsuki-san was about to say causing the old woman to sigh before continuing her work. _ I wonder what the Phoenix has in store for those kids. She didn't even say what time tomorrow. _

_**Evening. **_Tsuki-san almost spit out the coffee she was drinking when she heard Kagome's voice in her head. She started looking around the room for the young woman, and when she could not locate her, she decided that she needed to go to sleep before she heard anything else in that room.

Kagome started laughing when she heard Kaede's thoughts causing the people at the dinner table to stare at the girl as though she had lost her mind. They were all quietly eating when the girl started laughing out of the blue. No one even said anything funny at all to cause her to laugh.

Higurashi-san glanced at the people around the table, silently asking them if they knew what was going on with his beloved granddaughter. The only answers he got were blank stares from Kikyo, Bankots, and Souta.

_I wonder if it had something to do with her meeting with Lady Kaede, _thought Kikyo, staring at Kagome as though it would help her in seeing through the girl's thoughts.

As Kagome's laughter died down, she realized that she had caught everyone's attention at the table. Flushing at the stares they were giving, she smiled sheepishly and bowed her head to hide her embarrassment, "sorry."

All of them started laughing when they saw the current expression on Kagome's face. "My dear, care to tell your grandfather and the rest of your companions what was so amusing?" queried her grandfather.

"It was nothing grandfather, just remembering a certain event that has transpired this evening."

_**More like what you have overheard on somebody else's thoughts, **_said Kikyo, her voice teasing.

_**Of course, **_Kagome did not even try to defend her actions. Kagome's reply caused Kikyo and Kagome to burst out laughing and for the three males at the table to stare at them like they two of them were from another planet.

"Women," they muttered while shaking their heads and proceeding to eat their meals. They did not even want to know what was going on in their heads at that moment.

Kagome and Kikyo looked at each other and smiled because unlike them, the two young women actually had a good idea on what they were thinking. They did not even need to use their mind reading ability to know what it was. The males in their family could be very transparent at times.

The next day at school, Kagome was the first one to arrive at her class, and she could be found reading a book at her desk without a care in the world. That was how exactly Inuyasha and his friends found her that morning. Although Kagome had greeted them all with a smile on her face, Inuyasha and Miroku were the only ones who were nice enough to greet her back. The three girls had only given her the cold shoulder as they dropped off their book bags on their seat before leaving to roam around the school while they waited for the school bell to ring.

Miroku followed their examples after sending Kagome an apologetic look, but while the girls were going to roam the school with the most innocent intentions, Miroku had some other ideas. He was actually going around the school to indulge in his perverseness by flirting with females and getting slap along the way because of his wandering hands.

"Typical Miroku," stated Inuyasha as he sat on top of Kagome's desk while taking away her book from her in the process.

"Hey!" Kagome protested, reaching for her book, which Inuyasha was currently flipping through with an uninterested look on his face.

Inuyasha took hold of Kagome's hand to stop her from getting the book without even sparing her a look as he set the book on his lap and continued to flip through it. He was trying to see what was so interesting within its pages that it always had Kagome's attention every morning, "is this a new book?" he nonchalantly asked, although he already knew the answer to it.

"Yes," answered Kagome, staring at the hand that was currently holding hers. It seemed like Inuyasha has not even realized that he had taken a hold of her hand and that he had not let go of it yet. She let her eyes wander over the boy's form in front of her, remembering something from her past. "Now, will you please return it?" she requested.

"Only if you promise that you would not be lost in its pages again," Inuyasha bargained, looking up from her book to look at her. His eyes were filled with a teasing glint as he stared at her.

Kagome sighed and nodded her head causing Inuyasha to smirk and return her book. He continued to sit on top of Kagome's desk without letting go of the hand he held.

"Ahem," Kagome cleared her throat to get his attention. As Inuyasha looked at her questioningly, Kagome sent him a pointed look before slowly looking down to their clasped hand. Upon realizing what Kagome was looking at, Inuyasha abruptly let go of her hand like he had been burnt and proceeded to turn his head to the side to hide the redness of his face.

Kagome giggled inwardly when she saw his reaction, _you have not change at all. _

The two of them remained silent for a while as their classmates ran in and out of the classroom to drop off their stuff and left the classroom to hang out with their other friends. "Takahashi-kun?" called out Kagome, finally breaking the silence that had enveloped them.

"Hmm?"

"Was there something that you wished to ask me?"

As his face returned to its normal color, Inuyasha turned back to look at Kagome, "no."

Kagome raised a brow in suspicion, her eyes glittering with amusement as she watched Inuyasha fidget before her. She had to look away from her or she would surely have burst out laughing, which, she was sure, Inuyasha would not appreciate. "Then perhaps, you wanted to console me?" she speculated, her eyes trained on the fidgeting young man in front of her.

Inuyasha froze. "Um…well."

Kagome giggled, remembering the first time that they had met on the rooftop. He was stuttering then too, like what he was doing at the moment.

Inuyasha stopped stuttering and stared at Kagome. The awe and softness in his eyes caused Kagome to stop giggling and to stare at Inuyasha in question. "It's been a long time since I saw you like this," he murmured, reaching out and caressing Kagome's cheek, which caused the girl to blush, "it's nice."

"Ahem…am I interrupting something?" was Miroku's sly comment as he entered the room, completely ruining the moment between the two. He was standing right in front of them with his arms crossed and smirking smugly like someone who had just won the lottery. The way he was staring at them made it seemed like he knew something they didn't and that his suspicions had been proven true. What exactly it was that he was suspecting? They had no idea.

Upon seeing Miroku standing right next to them, Inuyasha immediately jumped off Kagome's desk and pulled his hand away from her face. Both of their faces were flushed red, "no!" Inuyasha guiltily uttered; his tone of voice was filled with denial. Kagome remained on her seat and watched the spectacle before her with deep amusement. The two guys had completely forgotten that she was there as Miroku continued to torment Inuyasha about what he had just seen while Inuyasha tried to clear up what Miroku had just seen. It had been such a long time sine she had been able to relax. What, with being the heiress and the phoenix and the knowledge that came with knowing who the princess was, everything had been too stressing for her.

Thinking of what had been happening made her think of what was to come that night, a meeting with the rest of her new team for the first time ever. The idea was a little bit daunting, given the fact that three of them were still holding a grudge against her, but as long as her true identity remains embedded deep within the shadows, then there would be no problem with them obeying her, at least, she hoped so. There was still the matter that the team consisted of four egotistical men and that if she knew the façade that the Elite Division had set up, then she was sure that they did not held a positive view of her being an Elite spy. Although the fact that she had saved three of their teammates and friends might have softened them up, even if it was just a little. She was sure that they would be giving her a hard time especially the guys.

"Nishimura-kun, Takahashi-kun," called out Kagome in hopes of stopping their argument. The two young men instantly stopped their argument and turned their attention to Kagome with expectant looks on their faces.

"The teacher shall be arriving soon."

Inuyasha and Miroku looked around the room, only to realize that they had made a spectacle of themselves when they saw all of their classmates had already came in and was looking at them as though they were some reality show from cable TV. It was a very rare sight to see Inuyasha so worked up; he was mostly silent and closed off to the rest of the world when he was at school. He may glare or scowl at people every now and then, but this was the first time that they had seen the young man so animated.

Not wanting to be the center of attention, Inuyasha scowled at everyone that was staring at them causing all of them to instantly look away. With that, he crossed his arms and sat down on his seat with a huff, but not before glaring at Miroku, blaming him for becoming the spectacle in the class. After all, it was him who had started the whole argument.

"Takahashi-kun, thank you for earlier," said Kagome during lunch while hugging the aforementioned boy. This caused the said boy to redden and to hug her back awkwardly. The two of them were the only ones left in their classroom as the rest of their class had left to go to the cafeteria to get their food.

When they finally let go of each other, Inuyasha avoided looking at Kagome while scratching the back of his head sheepishly. There was still a red tint on his cheeks. "Um…it was nothing," he murmured, flustered from the attention that he was receiving from the girl.

Kagome smiled at his actions. She stood up from her seat and walked towards the door, "I shall see you later, then." She was almost out the door when he called out.

"Higurashi!"

She turned, looking at him expectantly.

He looked from side to side before finally looking at her. "T-that boy, yesterday?"

"Yes? What of him?"

"Um…not that it's any of my business, but who was he?" he did not know why, but his heart was thumping rapidly, and he waited with baited breath for her answer.

"Hmm…I guess that he would be what you would call my childhood friend," she answered. A mysterious smile appeared on her face, her eyes stared into some distant memory that he could not see, "a very dear one," she added fondly.

He didn't know why her answer stung a little, and as he saw her eyes turn soft as she spoke of him, he felt an overwhelming sense of something that he could not name. However, his friends would call it jealousy, but why would he be jealous? It wasn't as though he had feelings for her…right? He shook his head in order to get rid of that line of thought. "Oh." He could not believe how pathetic he was acting! What the heck was wrong with him? He'd never acted like this in front of a girl or anyone at all ever before in his entire life. Why was this girl in front of him affecting him like this? It was truly mind-boggling.

_**Aw, how adorable! **_Exclaimed Bankotsu in her head, _**he feels threatened, **_and proceeded to laugh hysterically.

_**Bankotsu, shut up! **_Reprimanded Kikyo a an image of Kikyo hitting Bankotsu appeared in Kagome's head.

_**Whatever, your highness! **_Mocked Banktosu.

Kagome had to stop herself from laughing in order to not offend the half-demon in front of her. "Yes, well, if that is all?"

"Oh, umm…yeah, that's all. I'll see you later!" with that said, Inuyasha ran past Kagome, who remained standing by the doorway. All she could do was stare at Inuyasha as he slowly disappeared from her view while blinking in surprise.

_**I am afraid that you have embarrassed the boy, **_said Kikyo. Her tone of voice portrayed that she found the whole scenario amusing. _**I have not seen him act like this, not even when it was just the two of us. **_

_**Hmm.**_

_**Are you ready for tonight? **_

_**Yes, I am. Let us hope that these agents shall not be giving me a hard time. **_

_**No matter how much you hope it, they will not be complacent towards you. **_

Kagome sighed, that was what she had thought too. _**You have my deepest gratitude for destroying my hopes. **_Her voice was deeply covered with sarcasm causing Kikyo to laugh, she was sure that if Kagome was in front of her at that moment, her eyebrow would be twitching and her fist would be clenched.

_**Well, the idiot and I bid you good luck**_, she laughed, picturing the scenario of what she thought would happen later that night. All of which contained Kagome trying to calm a raging group of teenagers and a load of chaos.

Kagome had to control herself not to go back to the Higurasi mansion and attack her friend. _**If you do not stop this teasing, then you shall be finding yourself on a different shoe tonight, and then we shall see who shall be laughing. **_

Kikyo giggled nervously, _**or we could proceed with your plan. **_

_**As I thought,**_ was the smug reply.

_**Well, then, good day! **_

_What a nuisance that girl is, _thought Kagome, _but I would not have her any other way, _she continued with a fond smile.

"There you are!" exclaimed Kouga, glaring at Inuyasha in annoyance. They had been waiting for Inuyasha at their lunch table since the lunch bell had rung, and he had no patience in waiting for the mutt. "Where were you?" he demanded.

Inuyasha scowled at Kouga in return as he plopped down on his seat, "none of your business!" he growled out.

"Actually, it is when you make us wait for you for damn long!" Kouga barked out, rising from his eat and staring down Inuyasha.

"Settle down you two," placated Miroku. Kouga sat back down, but the two of them continued to glare at each other. "Now that Inuyasha is here we can finally hear what Sango has to say."

"Anyways," started Sango, shaking her head at the two, "I only wanted to tell you guys that there is going to be a meeting tonight at the headquarters, ordered by Tsuki-san."

"It looks like that old hag has been calling us in for a lot of meetings this past few days," grumbled Inuyasha, crossing his arms. He did not want to go to another meeting especially not that night. He was still a bit bothered by Kagome's answer, that, and the fact that he wasn't quite sure why it bothered him so much, and his demon half seems to be laughing at him. His demon half laughing at him reminded him that his demon half had been quiet for a long time. In fact, it has not bothered him since that day when Kagome started acting like herself again. This fact made him feel like his demon half was hiding something from him, and it was something big.

"Inuyasha!" admonished the three girls, appalled that he would refer to one of their leaders so disrespectfully.

Kouga smirked at Inuyasha seeing that he was the center of the girl's scorn. He could just imagine what they were capable of doing to him since he had been in a few receiving ends of their wrath. His smirk disappeared when the three aforementioned girls turned their glare on him.

_Why do I hang around with this people again? _Thought Sesshomaru as he watched his friends' childish display with boredom, _I really need to find more friends who are more mature than these idiots__**, **_he added in retrospect. His mind wandered to his old charge, Kagome. As he thought of the girl, it reminded him that he still needed to reintroduce himself to her. At least now that she seemed to be back to her old self, and he was sure that she would be more mature than these people that he was currently surrounded with. The only problem with the girl was the fact that she might change her attitude again. _Maybe she has multiple personalities? _He almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of his thoughts. He inwardly sighed, _these people are going to be the ones to send me to a mental institution, that is, if they don't send me to my grave first. _He glanced around the table and sighed again when he saw that they were still arguing amongst themselves.

"Did the two of you encounter something?" asked Kagome, looking at Bankotsu and Kikyo. The three of them were in one of the deserted classrooms of the school; it was one of the places that Kikyo and Bankotsu would meet up with Kagome during school hours to inform about what she might have missed while she was at school.

"Nothing of the utmost importance," replied Kikyo. She was sitting on top of the teacher's desk while Bankotsu stood next to her. Kagome was standing by the window, observing what was going on outside.

"Just the usual lower class demons, although it did look like they were looking for something," continued Bankotsu.

Kagome and Kikyo looked at each other, causing Bankotsu to look at the two of them in confusion and annoyance. He hated it whenever these two conversed with each other telepathically while blocking him from their thoughts. It was especially infuriating when they did it while he was in the same room as them. For Bankotsu, it seemed like he was left in the dark with a lot of things unless he partook in what had happened or they deemed it necessary for him to know. He was getting absolutely tired of it because it made him feel like the two girls were burdening themselves with everything around him while not allowing him to share the burden. After all, he was their guardian; at least, for one of them, the other was important to him enough that he had sworn to himself that he would protect her with his life.

Bankotsu sighed once more, how he wished that the protectors would join them already so that they could suffer this experience with them. At least then, he would have someone to talk to while Kikyo and Kagome were lost in their heads. It was a wonder that no one can ever sneak up on them whenever they were in that state. He should know since he and Souta tried once, but it was something that they both swear not to do ever again. The last time they did, they both almost ended up in the hospital due to the sudden attack that came from both girls. Bankotsu winced, thinking about it. Let's just say they got a couple of broken bones in the process, and Higurashi-san did not even scold the two young women for attacking them, instead he scolded him and Souta for provoking them while they were in their trance. Apparently, when the two girls were unexpectedly disturb while in that state, they automatically without thought without checking if the person was an ally or a foe.

"I'm guessing the two of you already know something," he stated, looking bored with his arms crossed. Before the other two were able to reply, he answered his own question, " Of course you guys would, why wouldn't you, when one is the heiress and the other is the princess."

Kagome and Kikyo just stared at him like he was crazy. Both of them holding down giggles as they watch him talk to himself about how annoying it was that he was always in the dark unless at least one of them informed him what was going on. The two young women looked at each other one more time, both debating if they should snap him out of it already or just let him suffer a little more. Kikyo sighed when she saw that Kagome had decided that Bankotsu had suffered enough, "fine," she dejectedly agreed when Kagome sent her a puppy dog look.

Kagome smiled, "thank you." She walked over to the only male in the room and smacked his arm quite hard.

"What the h…" he trailed off when he saw two disapproving glares aimed his way. He rubbed his arm and glared at Kagome, "that hurt. You might be a girl, but you sure don't hit like one!"

"And you might be a guy, but you sure don't act like one," drawled out Kikyo.

"Hey!" called out Bankotsu, quite offended by Kikyo's insult.

Kikyo smirked, taunting the boy.

Kagome bit her lip to stop herself from laughing a she watched the scene in front of her. She had to look away when Kikyo patted Bankotsu head like a he was a dog, while the latter sulked at being treated like a pet. She and Kikyo had always enjoyed making fun of Bankotsu, it was a way for them to lighten situations and to escape from their problems, and if she wasn't lying to herself, it was just plain hilarious to annoy the young man. After all, he had been the only one who had been a constant companion in their lives. So it was not even a surprise to Higurashi-san that his granddaughter was now currently dating the young man and that he was her true soul mate.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle when she saw Bankotsu looking at her for help. "The bell shall be ringing soon, so…" she trailed off meaningfully while sending Kikyo a look that caused the other girl to turn serious.

"Oh, so the two of you are finally going to tell me what is going on?" he scoffed.

"If you don't stop acting like a child, then you'll be left in the dark until everything unfold like the rest of them," threatened Kikyo, getting annoyed by Bankotsu's constant complaints.

"Well then," started Kagome, stopping the rising tempers just in time before the room they were currently in could blow up in smokes. "For the moment, the only thing that I can disclose is that those demons were most definitely searching for something."

Bankotsu rolled his eyes, "and that is?" he prompted.

"The Shikon," murmured Kagome, causing Bankotsu and Kikyo to look at Kagome with worry in their eyes. Kagome closed her eyes and looked away from them. She did not want to see those looks of worry in their eyes. They should not be stressing over this when they have more things to be worrying about.

"Kagome—," started Bankotsu.

"—No, everything shall be fine," she reassured while looking at both of them straight in the eye, stopping them from coming closer to her to comfort her. "As you can see, no one has ever been in close proximity to the Shikon besides the three of us and a few people, who do not even know that the Shikon has been near them all along."

Kikyo and Bankotsu looked at each other and sighed. They understood what Kagome was saying, but it was still very worrisome that the demons were searching for the Shikon. Especially if the enemey figured out what the Shikon really was. As they looked at Kagome once more, their eyes hardened in determination to make sure that the Shikon would not fall into the wrong hands even if it caused them their life.

_**I know what you are doing, princess. **_

_**Heiress, I am only doing what I must to protect those closest to me. **_

_**I understand, but we were chosen to share the burdens with you and to make sure that nothing shall befall on you. **_

Kikyo and Kagome glared at each other, both trying to sway each other to see their point and to understand that what either of them were doing was right.

_**I shall be leaving. **_

_**Fine, but once class is over, we will talk about his again, princess. **_

_**Hmm. **_

With one last look to Kagome, Kikyo disappeared from Kagome's view. "See you later," whispered Bankotsu as he too slowly faded away.

Kagome sighed and left the room to head back to class.

"She is just worried about you and me," started Bankotsu when he and Kikyo had finally returned to the Higurashi Manor. "Along with the rest of them."

"I know that and I completely understand the reason behind her worry, but I am quite capable of protecting myself," countered Kikyo while pacing the room in aggravation, "she does not need to worry herself to death about me and the same goes for you."

"Yes, but you'll never really fully understand what she is feeling unless you experienced the exact same thing," reasoned Bankotsu, as he watched Kikyo pacing bank and forth, "and before you say that your experiences are far greater than hers, then I'm going to tell you now that you are wrong," he added while he stared down Kikyo.

"I was not going to say that," she defended.

"I know," he looked at her with understanding. "Look, Kikyo, I am as worried about her as you are worried with her, me, and everyone else." He intensely stared into her eyes and continued as he looked into the distance. It was as though he was looking into the memory of the past, his eyes had severely softened, "but you must understand that there have been many things in her past that caused this certain stubbornness and determinedness in her. She had seen far too many things that if it was not her, may cause even the strongest man to fall on his knees and weep and beg for mercy, but she had stood strong and for these reasons, she had determinedly decided that she must protect those around her with everything in her." By the end of his monologue, Bankotsu looked pained and full of misery. The look on his face caused Kikyo to truly wonder how much Kagome and him had seen and experienced. They have been together far longer than her and Kagome, so she understood the closeness between the two of them. She sometimes wished that she would find that in someone, but as she looked at him, she remembered that she did have that someone who looked at her that way.

"I understand," she sighed in resignation.

"And that is all she asks of us," he reminded.

_But I just wish that she would allow me to do more, _she thought, _because I am not a damsel in distress or a princess that needs to be pampered every hours of the day. _

"Ayame, look out!" yelled Sango as she threw her hiraikotsu at the demon that was about to attack Ayame from the back. She hit the mark and killed the demon just in time before it managed to behead her friend, who was currently lying on the ground with Rin on top of her, who had tackled Ayame as Sango threw her massive boomerang at the demon.

Sango and her friends had been called out by the headquarters and given a mission that night. They were currently battling demons on another dimensions, which they have created with the help of the mages to make sure that no innocents would be harmed during the fight. This dimension looked exactly like the dimension that they lived in, except that the surrounding area looked as though it had red lens over it for everywhere you look has a red tint to it.

They had been fighting since they got there and they see no end to it, for whenever they thought that it was the end, more and more demons would appear. It was starting to tire them out. If they were not outnumbered, then their battle would have ended a long time ago, but it was just their luck that they were horribly outnumbered and every time they kill one demon, two or more would appear causing their enemy's number to escalate instead of depleting.

"Sango! Ayame! Rin! Watch out!" called out the four teenage males in their group as each of them threw an attack at the demons that were about to finish off their teammate. Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Miroku, and Kouga landed right nest to the girls after delivering their attacks. Each guys sent the girls look of disapproval. "Be more careful," warned Miroku before any of the other guys could open their mouths because he was sure that they were really close to shouting at the girls for their stupidity.

The three girls were about to retaliate, but before they could, they to the realization that they were surrounded causing them to stand in a circle with their back to one another in order to protect one another. "How come these demons seem stronger than the ones that we fought before?" questioned Sango as she readied her hiraikotsu.

"How are we suppose to know that?!" snapped Kouga, frustrated that they were getting beat by some weak demons due to their high number, "when you, the smart one can't even figure that out!"

"Cut it out you guys," reprimanded Rin. The group continued to slash, kick, and hit the demons that were coming at them. The hours passed as they continued to battle with the never-ending amount of demons that were attacking them. As they continue to fight, their energies began to deplete as their clothes became covered in blood from their wounds and their opponents'. By the end of the hour, the group of demons that they were fighting surrounded them. All of whom were ready to attack them as they glared at them with red and yellow eyes filled with hate, eyes that were solely focused on the group of friends, whose human half were already dead tired from fighting the endless supply of demons.

Inuyasha and his friends were standing in a way that put the humans of the group inside their circle as their demon half stood outside their small circle to protect the humans since the demons had more stamina left compared to their human counterparts, who could barely hold themselves, let alone hold their weapon and fight their opponent. Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Ayame, and Kouga were holding to their last drop of strength in hopes that a miracle would happen to save them and their friends. At that instant, the demons that were surrounded them decided to attack them all at the same time.

The space between Sesshomaru and his friends and their opponents were slowly shrinking causing the four demons to tighten their grip on their weapons in preparation to what they were expecting to be their last fight. When the space between them and their opponents were only a few feet away, Ayame and the other three were about to swing their weapons of choice when they were interrupted mid-attack by a bright silver light that filled the area. Before closing their eyes, they saw that it was a silver arrow surrounded by a very powerful spiritual aura that were purifying any demon that it passed and the demons within a hundred meter radius from it.

Ayame, Sesshomary, Inuyasha, Kouga, Sango, Rin, and Miroku stood in their circle gaping at what the single arrow had done. "What just happened?" asked a shock Kouga, looking around at his friends in search for an answer from any of them. He was met by the same confuse gaze that he was probably sporting from his friends, who were as puzzled as him on where that arrow had come from. As far as they knew, they were the only ones who were able to open this realm where they could bring the demons that they needed to exterminate, but if that were the case, then they would have known where the arrow had come from.

Completely forgetting about their tiredness, the group of friends started looking around their surrounded looking for anyone who might have shot the arrow. "Do you think he/she is our ally?" Rin voiced out with a voice filled with hopes. After all, they really needed an ally at that moment since all of them were lacking in energy that would defeat the remaining demons that were starting to appear from thin air.

"I don't know," murmured Sango, as she too, looked around her surrounding, "but I sure hope so." _We can't fight another opponent right now who seems to be really powerful from that blast. _

"We can only hope that the two of you are right," added Miroku. _That purifying energy was truly remarkable. _

"Get ready, you guys," warned Ayame, as she and the other three demons of their group began to prepare for another attack.

Not a minute too long the group of friends found themselves pushed back by a blast as a silhouette of what appeared to be a girl appeared before them wielding a sword made of crystal, the sword was oddly familiar. Their eyes widened in shock when it registered that they did in fact saw a similar sword before, but it was held by a different person. That person was no other than Midoriko, _Kagome? _They thought as they watch the young woman whose face was covered by a piece of cloth with only her eyes visible. She was using the sword to deflect the blast of attacks that the demons were throwing their war and the blast that had knocked them all to the ground was when the girl's sword and the attack of the demon's clashed in a might ball of energy. They couldn't quite believe that the girl in front of them was able to block every attack and counter them when the five of them had a hard time even deflecting it.

Upon closer inspection, Inuyasha and Miroku realized dthat it was the same person that had saved them a few months ago, "Phoenix," Inuyasha whispered, shock that she came to their rescue again. The girl stiffened for a mere second upon hearing her name being called out, but aside for that moment, she continued to ignore them as she swung her sword this way and that to deflect attacks. For as long as she been blocking and sending attacks, the Phoenix was still not showing any indication that she was strained from fighting too long and from the constant attack from their enemies.

"Monk," they heard her call out. She didn't even bother to look at them, which they understood, for if she did, then that might lead to her lowering her guard against her opponent, and at that moment, she could not afford to do so. Not when there were several lives on the line, and she did not want that in her conscience once again.

_**It was not your fault, **_came Bankotsu voice, _**nor was it Kikyo's. So the two of you need to stop thinking that it was. **_

The Phoenix frowned and ignored Bankotsu, not wanting to hear his lecture again. If it wasn't their fault then why were those lives forfeited? She shook her head, getting rid of that line of thought and refocusing on the fight.

Miroku's eyes widened in shock, "Y-yeah?" he stuttered out, shock that the girl was addressing him. He and the rest of his friends were no on their feet and were trying the best they can to help the girl, but before they could even land an attack, the enemy would disintegrate from the Phoenix's attack, making them unable to do much.

"Set up a barrier at my signal," she ordered, not waiting for a response as she leapt out of the way of an oncoming attack. Her sword swung to her right, decapitating the demon that was sneaking up on her. The demon on her left was stopped at his attack from a blast of spiritual energy coming from her right palm, shocking the group once more since it was the first time they had seen someone with spiritual powers use their powers without the need of a medium. "NOW!" she yelled, throwing what appeared to be millions of _ofudas_ their way, the _ofudas_ made a circle around them and strengthened the barrier that Miroku had put up as countless of demons tried to get in only to dissipate upon contact with the barrier.

Out of the corner of her eye, the Phoenix saw Ayame about to leave the safety of the barrier to help her. "No!" she yelled in warning, her eyes dilated in panic, jumping towards the barrier and stopping Ayame just in time, but her moment of distraction caused one of the demons to manage to hit her with one of their attacks. The attack hit her dead on as her back was turned. The blast sent her flying over the barrier as the people within it started in panic, their eyes widened in concern and panic for the young woman. What happened next was even more of a surprise as the mask that covered the Phoenix's face fell off in tatters and her hair came undone. At that moment, the face that met their startled eyes caused them all to run towards the edge of the barrier and stare at the girl, unbelieving at whose face was staring back at them, "KAGOME?!"

The Kagome-looked-alike didn't gave any acknowledgement towards them before charging at their enemies, neither did she give a hint as to whether they were right about their assumptions. The most shock of them all was Inuyasha, he could never quite picture the innocent Kagome battling demons, and yet there she seems to be, protecting all of them in the clothes of the Phoenix herself.

They continued to watch as the Phoenix defeated on demon after the other. This time, her attack seemed to be filled with even more vigor than the last.

As they continue to watch her in tense silence, the Phoenix decided that it was time to finish off all the demons. She suddenly stopped moving while she held up her sword in front of her, with her eyes closed; she concentrated some of her energy in order to execute her next move. But to those watching her, it looked like she had merely given up, and it was causing the people watching her to be even more panicked over what was happening in front of them. "What the fuck is she doing?!" hissed Inuyasha, pacing back in forth inside the barrier. He was the most work up out of the group with the exception of Sesshomaru, who was holding to the last thread of his self-control in order to not burst out of the barrier and attack every single demon in his line of sight that was threatening the person he sees as his younger sister, and the person that he had taken care of since she was a baby. _What is she doing? _Thought Sesshomaru, his focus firmly on the girl trying to save them.

Kouga, always the first one to notice danger when it was coming, felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and Ayame, always the observant one, felt the air around the battle arena begun to change. It was picking up and was circling around as though it was about to form a tornado, and at its center was the Phoenix, who was glowing with an eternal light. Her hair fluttered around her, and suddenly the battleground was dead silent with the exception of the sound that the Phoenix's clothes was making as they flapped with the wind. "Look closely," advised Ayame, trying to assuage the worry that everyone was feeling, because even of the three girls were still mad at Kagome, it wasn't at the point that they would want her to terribly injure herself or worst, die while they were still angry at her.

It was only a moment, but for that time it felt as though time has stopped and the next thing they knew, there was a gust of wind and with that the Phoenix opened her eyes and every single one of her opponents dropped to the ground. She lowered her sword and as she flicked her wrist, it disappeared. She turned around and faced the group, who had all their mouths open in shock and amazement as she stared at the beauty in front of them. The Phoenix's long raven hair fluttered behind her as she slowly walked towards them. It was truly a remarkable sight, with her hair dancing with the wind and the moonlight shining on her and the glow still present on her skin, she looked like a warrior goddess who came down on earth to find retribution from those who had wronged her. It was a surreal sight to behold, with the particles of the demons she had defeated sparkled around her as they descend to the ground.

_Amazing, _was the only thought that was floating in everyone's mind.

When she finally reached the small group, who were gaping like complete fools, she had only two words to say to them, "be wary," she stared each of them in the eye before disappearing. The only proof of that she had been there was the silver lone feather floating down where she had once stood. The barrier had dissipated and the group of friends was still gaping at the empty spot in front of them.

_**Change of plans, **_Kagome projected to Kikyo as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop on her way to the ISN headquarters.

_**You have got to be kidding me, **_replied the other girl, not looking forward to what she was about to do.

Kagome only giggled. _**Your choice. **_

_**I think I'll rather face the crowd who I know won't attack me than facing confused and angry people who are sure to attack me if I gave them the chance. **_

_**Cowardice is very unbecoming,**_ she teased before breaking away from the link.

When Sesshomaru and the rest of his team returned to the base, they were met with incredulous stares from everyone. They looked at each other in question, but found that none of them ha any idea why everyone seemed to be looking at them like they were some kind of aliens. Ayame, Kouga, Rin, Sesshomaru, Miroku, and Inuyasha looked at Sango expectantly.

Rolling her eyes, Sango walked up to on of the workers in the agency and tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. The man looked up from what he was doing and turned to Sango, "yes, Agent Matsuda?"

"I'd like to know what's going on," she motioned to everyone else that were still looking at them as though they were some specimen that the research department dragged in from outer space.

The man only sent her a puzzled look, "you mean, you really don't know?" he furrowed his brow in confusion.

Sango raised her brow in reply.

"Well…" he looked around the hallway and saw that some of the other agents were covertly shaking their heads at him and where pointing to the conference room as discreetly as they could muster. "…I think you should go to the conference room as quick as possible," he suggested while turning back to whatever it was he was doing, dismissing her and the matter at hand before Sango can further interrogate him.

Sango sighed and turned back to her friends.

"What'd he say?" demanded Kouga as soon as Sango was of hearing distance, curious to what the genius had found out.

Sango only shrugged her shoulders, glancing back at the man and at her friends, "he wouldn't tell me anything," they continued walking, "he just told me that all of us needed to go to the conference room." The rest of her friends sighed, dejected as the fact that no one was trying to tell them what was going on.

"I wonder if it has something to do to what we saw tonight," commented Rin, holding her chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe," agreed Ayame, "but whatever it is, we're finding out in the conference room."

"Then, what the hell are you standing around for?!" demanded Inuyasha, as he and his brother power walked towards the aforementioned room, determined looks taking over their faces.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" called out Miroky with a laugh as he followed the brothers on their way to the conference room.

The girls and Kouga looked at each other and ran after their friends. As they ran, they pushed on each other to try and beat the other, none of the wanted to be the rotten egg.

All four of them bumped into the three young men in front of them causing their butts to meet with the floor. "What's the big idea?!" they demanded, enraged that the three males would just stand at the doorway without warning them. When they got no answer from the other three they looked up and found that Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and Miroku were frozen on the spot where they stood. They got up and pushed through the three of them, only to end up in the same position as the other three: mouth's hanging open with their jaws to the floor and eyes wide in shock. It seems like that's all they had been doing throughout the night.

The reason for their current inability to function was standing next to the head of the table of the conference room, where Kaede was currently sitting on. The other three elders were sitting on their seats as the table. All of them seemed to have been disrupted from their conversation with the Phoenix when they all had apparently burst in. the adults and the Phoenix, who now had a new mask covering her face, stared at them, waiting for one of them to snap out of it and sit down. When minutes passed and none of them had snapped out of it, Akuma-san sighed and walked up to the teenagers with his shoulder hunched over as though he was about to do the most arduous task there was. Once near them, he proceeded to snap their mouths shut one by one, "flies might get in," he warned.

The teenagers could not quite believe that one of their commanders embarrassed them like that in front of one of the Elite agents. They watched as Akuma-san returned to his seat while the other adults laughed and the Phoenix smirked at them.

Seven pairs of cheeks reddened in embarrassment, clearing their throat they then proceeded to sit on the remaining chairs, all the while pretending like nothing happened.

The adults and the Phoenix spared them with one more look of amusement before all attention turned to the Phoenix. "They're here as you wanted," stated Tsuki-san while motioning to the teenagers in the room with her head, "now, do as you wish."

The Phoenix and the rest of the teens in the room stared at one another. It was the Phoenix versus the seven ISN agents, having an all out battle of the will. Finally, it was Sango who snapped first, "What is she doing here?" she startled the adults with her outburst and icy tone. They were even more shocked when the other two girls backed up her iciness by crossing their arms and sending the Phoenix looks of death. They had expected this kind of behavior from the young men not from the three young women. After all, it was the males that had made known their distaste about following after an agent from the Elite Division, but now that she was in front of them, it was the guys who were acting calm and collected while the girls were the ones showing their outward distaste of the girl. In fact, the girls had been more open to the idea of the Phoenix joining them in their mission than the boys had been, but now, it was the other way around. To add more to the confusion, when they had heard what had happened during the battle, they expected all of them to thank the Phoenix for saving their butts, even if they do it begrudgingly. "Matsuda, what is up with this attitude?!" admonished Takuma-san. He may not like people from the Elite Division at all, but after conversing with the girl, he had been won over immediately.

The young agent looked down in shame for her behavior in front of the elders, but still held to her belief that the girl standing before the deserves everything that they throw her way whether or not she had saved their lives twice already. "Sorry."

Takuma-san only sent her a stern look before looking at the Phoenix once again.

Seeing her friend's distress, Ayame was quick to defend the genius, "she had every right to be angry!" she glared at the Phoenix as Rin comforted Sango.

"Oh?" challenged Takahashi-san.

"Yes," this time it was Rin who had provided the answer. The four boys could not do anything but stare at the Phoenix, all of them still reeling from what they had just found out during the battle. "After how Higurashi had treated us these past few weeks, we have every right to be angry." A few things happened after Rin referred to the Phoenix as Higurashi; Kaede stiffened unnoticeably, the three men furrowed their brow in confusion, the rest of the ISN agents sucked in their breaths, and the Phoenix tilted her head in bewilderment to being called a Higurashi.

"What is she talking about?" asked Akuma-san, looking at the Phoenix. "Why is she calling you Higurashi?"

The Phoenix shrugged her shoulders. Her denial of her identity caused the three girls to be even more infuriated at the young woman. How dare she make them look like fools in front of their commanders? Wasn't it enough that she treated them like flies in front of the whole school that one time? "Don't act like you don't know!" growled out Ayame, "Higurashi Kagome!" she spat out the name like it was a bitter taste in her mouth.

The Phoenix winced inwardly, _**it seems the plan was a success. **_

On the other hand, the adults gasped in shock upon hearing the accusation. "Matsuda! Suzuki! Watanabe! Quit this insolence this instant!" roared Takahashi-san, rising to his feet and glowering at the three girls causing the three girls to immediate stop glaring at the Phoenix accusingly and proceeded to look like an admonished pup. "This girl, here," he motioned to the Elite agent, "could not possibly be Higurashi Kagome," he proceeded to inform them with voice that was filled with authority. It reminded Inuyasha and Sesshomaru of the times that the same voice was used on them by the same man when they were only young pups after doing something that they were not suppose to be doing. "After all, the heiress has been at a press conference the whole night, and is now in a meeting along with her grandfather."

The seven ISN agents looked at one another with looks of disbelief written all over their faces, "but—" started Sango, only to be stopped when the projector turned on and showed the young heiress speaking to many business men in a large conference room as she sat next to her grandfather.

"As you can see, the young heiress is currently at a meeting with the ruthless men of the business world at the moment."

_Is spying on me with a government satellite really necessary,_ thought the Phoenix, feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden about all the things that she had done since arriving in Japan. _But I really should not look at a gift horse in the mouth. _

The seven ISN agents in the room felt like the floor beneath them had just been pulled and they were left to fall down in extreme dizziness. _How is that possible when she…_their thoughts trailed off when the Phoenix started talking, "now that that has been cleared up. I would just like to inform the seven of you that my team and I shall be taking over this mission for a while." The next thing she knew, she found herself at the end of the wrath or seven deadly spies. All of them appalled that this agent from the Elite Division would just show up in their headquarters and tell them to pull out of their mission for quite some time.

"What?!" they yelled, even Sesshomary was on his feet, his stoic expression gone from his face as he glared at the girl in front of them. How dare this mere human think that she was better than him?! He ought to jump over the table and strangle her for thinking that he was her inferior, but he had to restrain himself if he wants to save face. He'll leave the strangling to his brother or Kouga. Those two fools have no qualms of looking like complete morons. Although, at the moment, it seemed as though he would have to rely on Kouga on this one because his brother was staying very quiet and aloof, a thoughtful expression coming over his features, _maybe I should start packing and running for the hills? _He thought as his eyes lingered on his pensive brother. _After all, Inuyasha staying quiet while his abilities, as a spy is being challenge could only mean that it is the end of the world. _He had to stop himself from chuckling at his thoughts.

"And why are you talking about a team?!" growled out Kouga, his fist clenched at his side to stop himself from hitting a girl who was supposedly in their team. "I thought you are the only one from the Elite Division who's here."

_Way to go Kagome, _she thought while inwardly slapping herself from her slip up. "No, there are two others with me, although one of them is not quite an agent…" she trailed off in thought, _Bankotsu is more of a guardian than anything else. He is not even part of any spy organization. That and the Elite Division consist of young women. _

Kaede's eyes narrowed when she heard the last part of the elite agent's statement, _could one of them be the princess? And how is she managing to appear in two places? Which one is the real Higurashi Kagome? _Her eyes flickered back to the forgotten projector.

Phoenix's eyes landed on Kaede, her eyes narrowing in suspicion at what the old woman was thinking. _If we are not more careful, then all of those preparations shall be for naught. _Her brows furrowed in determination and her fist clenched to a fist, _I shall not let that happen. _"As the bearer of the unlimited license, I order you to stand down until further notice!" the authority in her voice caused the room to freeze and to oblige her order. The youngest agents stiffened on their seats, but none of them were willing to go against the word of the Phoenix, not when she just reminded them of how much power she held over them all. The Phoenix met the eyes of everyone in the room, daring them to challenge her authority. When she was sure that her message had went through their thick skull, she nodded to the elders in the room and disappeared from their sight, only leaving a sole silver feather in her place.

To say that everyone was still reeling from the orders given to them and finding out that there was another elite agent was the understatement of the century. The adults were surprise that the younger agents didn't erupt with arguments, but they had a vague idea on how much that voice affected them. For some reason, that tone of voice was vaguely familiar and it was stirring something in them. Their subconscious mind seemed to know what it was, but their consciousness has absolutely no idea why their bodies froze up upon hearing that particular tone.

The next day, Inuyasha and his group of friends was found in contemplated silence over what had just happened the night before. There was just something that was bothersome about the event that took place in the conference room and everything strange started happening when the Phoenix's mask came undone and uncovered the face of Higurashi Kagome, but the Phoenix was apparently not her. They even had proof of it when they saw that the heiress was actually attending a few meetings the night before. But they still could not set aside the feeling that there was something mysterious going on around them and all those anomalies centered on the many secrets within the Higurashi house and the Elite Division.

The reason behind their suspicion about the Higurashi family being involved was due to the sword that was in the hands of the Phoenix. There was no mistaking it when they saw that the sword was none other than the sword of divinity, so they were quite sure that whoever the Phoenix was; she would be related to the Higurashi family seeing as only a female member of their family could wield the sword.

Inuyasha, Sango, Ayame, Rin, and Miroku were startled out of their thoughts when one of the objects of their contemplation showed up in class without a care in the world. "Hello," Kagome greeted as she reached her seat, her head tilted to the side in confusion as she looked at Inuyasha, who was staring at her with a bewildered expression. "Is there something the matter?" she asked, noticing that it was not only Inuyasha who was looking at her like she was some sort of experiment, but his friends as well.

"H-huh?" Inuyasha shook his head to clear his thoughts, _does she really not know or is this just an act? _He thought with doubt. "Nothing…" there was a pause as he stared at her eyes, searching for anything that would give away her family's secret. But Kagome's eyes only shined with confusion and nothing else at the odd behavior. "It's nothing."

"Okay," she sat on her seat and was about to read another book when she was interrupted once more.

"Say, Kagome," started Miroku, seeing as none of his friends were brave enough to verbalize the thing that had been in their minds since last night.

"Yes?" she turned to MIroku with her full attention, her eyes piercing him as she waited for him to finish his sentence.

"Um…" he scratched the back of his neck in a nervous habit as Inuyasha and the girls also focused their attention in their conversation. It also looked like they were challenging him to ask what they wanted to know, doubting that he would ever continue with his line of thoughts. "Uh…well…" he looked at her, only to see that her attention was still on him and was waiting eagerly for whatever it was that he needed to tell her, "er…uh…"

"Spit it out monk!" demanded Sango, thumping the aforementioned boy on his back causing him to start coughing. She was getting impatient.

Miroku sent her a stern look before focusing his attention once more to Kagome, "are you the only female within the Higurashi family?" Kagome sent him a bewildered look after hearing his statement causing the boy to blush after it registered in his brain how weird his question was. After all, as far as Kagome know (although they weren't quite sure how much she knows), he had no business whatsoever on how many females there are in her family. "I mean," he was fast to rectify his mistake before Kagome was even able to open her mouth to reply, but before he could say anything more, Kagome held up her hand to stop him.

He stopped his stutters and looked at Kagome, who sent him a mysterious smile before turning to the front of the class with a vague answer, "our question shall be answered soon."

Before the interrogation could continue the door to their classroom opened and their teacher entered as the bell rang for class to start. They did their greetings of the teacher and proceeded to sit down on their seats. "Good morning," greeted the teacher with a smile, "I have a surprise for all of you." Everyone in the room with the exception of Kagome groaned upon hearing the word 'surprise' leave the teacher's mouth. "Oh come on, it's not related to your grades or anything of that sort." The teacher laughed. "Okay, you two may come in now," she called out as she motioned to the door when it slid open. A boy and a girl entered wearing their school uniforms and as the girl looked up, silence filled the room. For in the doorway was none other than someone who looked exactly like Kagome. It was her exact replica from head to toe even the eye color was the same along with every other detail.

It was also not helping that the other person with her was the same boy that they had seen Kagome leave with a few days ago. "Everyone, please welcome our new students."

Both young man and young woman walked up to the front of the class. The young man walked up to the board and wrote his name, "Hello, my name is Hiro Bankotsu, pleasure to meet all of you." He bowed to the class.

Next the young woman walked up to the board and wrote down her name, "I am Higurashi Kikyo, pleasure." She bowed to the class but not as deep as the boy next to her, who was now smiling, her eyes meeting those of Inuyasha, Sango, Rin, and Miroku quite meaningfully.

_No way, _floated in their minds, their eyes darting from Kikyo to Kagome, trying to make sense of what was happening. _Is __**she **__the Phoenix? _

Everyone missed when Kagome and Kikyo's eyes met and glittered with amusement due to everyone's reaction. _**The puzzle completes itself.**_

**AN: **Please R&R

Thanks for reading! :D


	6. Chapter 5: Mysterious Visitor

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or the Inuyasha charaters, they are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. The plot of this story, however, is mine.

**Chapter 5: **

_Mysterious Visitor_

The news about the Higurashi family having twins circulated not only around the school but also all over the continent of Asia. Every news station or even those pertaining to news about celebrities were talking about the twins a few hours after Higurashi Kikyo's appearance. Every reporter in Asia were speculating why the existence of both girls were hidden and why their presences were made known one after the other and not at the same time.

Kikyo's sudden appearance caused great distress to the ISN elders and the organization itself because her existence blurred their theory about Kagome being the only one who would be able to wield the sword of divinity. From their earlier studies about the sword, it was said that only one female from the Higurashi line could wield the sword at any particular time; and the fact that there were now two Higurashi females made it impossibly harder to guess who they should protect the most because they didn't know which of the twins was the chosen wielder.

"Shouldn't we still give both girls equal protection?" suggested Sango, although she may not be in good terms with the younger twin, it was still her duty to protect her. In truth, she had already forgiven the younger girl from her earlier tiff with them, and she was sure that the young heiress had her own reasons on why she acted that way towards them like they weren't friends at all. That, and it was just hard to stay mad at the girl especially when she looked like a wounded puppy every time her and the other two ignored her existence. Due to this, Sango and her two best friends had decided that they would forgive the girl the next time she tries to apologize.

"The genius has a point," added Kouga, cringing when Sango sent him a nasty look for calling her names. She didn't care if the word had a positive connotation to it or not because she was pretty sure that what Kouga really wanted to say was 'know-it-all.'

The group of friends was at the ISN headquarters having another meeting with the elders because they headed to the headquarters right after school to inform them about the appearance of Kikyo, but it turned out that they didn't need to because the press had somehow gotten a hold of the information about the twins and had went ahead and let everyone know of their existence on the news. The adults even informed them that the Higurashi family was trying to fix the mess by scheduling an interview with the press the following day where the twins would be showing up and answering some questions with their grandfather. It would be fun to make them squirm for a change since it seemed that they had been hiding a lot from them. The recent events had made them believe that the Higurashi family knew more about what was going on around them than they let on, and the ISN did not know why they were withholding information from them when it were supposed to be their jobs to protect them due to their ties with the princess. It was truly a hindrance to their jobs because how could they protect them when they were hiding so much from them.

"Care to explain your train of thought?" encouraged Takahashi-san, looking at Sango expectantly. It was no surprise to him that the young girl seemed to have pieced something together before any of them did. After all, she was the brain of her unit while his sons and Kouga were the brawns, Miroku was the wisdom, and Ayame and Rin were the strategist.

Seeing the elders' attention was focused on her disconcerted her for a moment, but when she saw the encouraging smiles on their faces, Sango straightened on her seat and looked around the table, "I just thought that it would be more logical if we give both girls protection because both does carry the Higurashi bloodline in their veins, so wouldn't it be plausible that both can wield the sword?" Seeing the looks of disagreement on the other's faces, Sango hurried to continue with her explanation, "I don't mean that both of them could wield it right now. I just meant that what if one of them dies, wouldn't the right to wield the sword be passed on to the remaining Higurashi female?"

The four elders and the remaining six agents looked at one another in contemplation. Sango had brought up a very good point, it made them wonder if it was the reason why the knowledge that the Higurashi birthed twins was hidden.

Throughout the conversation, Sesshomaru had remained quiet. He was lost in the past as he remembered the day that Higurashi Kagome was born. As far as he knew, Midoriko had only given birth to one girl and he was very much sure that the late lady did not give birth to twins. His brow furrowed as he contemplated the matter some more. _There is something missing, _he thought, _it doesn't fit together. _He was sure that there was a missing link to the puzzle that would answer the question about the twins, if they were even that. _From what Inuyasha and the others had said earlier, Higurashi Kikyo had also been sent to England, but there was only one baby who was born that day and was sent to England. _

"That is a very good theory," agreed Akuma-san, sending Sango a look of awe. Sometimes, he couldn't quite believe what the girl can come up with in that head of hers. "What do you think of this theory Lady Kaede?" he continued, looking at Tsuki-san with an expectant gaze. After all, if anyone can answer this, it would be the only female elder.

The eldest female in the room was also lost in thought, contemplating what Sango had just said and all the possibilities that it brought with it. If that were the case, then was that why one of the twins was hidden until just recently. _Then, why did they choose now to reveal the other one? _"It would seem that young Sango here has come to a very good point. From what I know about inheritance through blood, then her idea is very plausible and therefore we will protect both girls without any bias." _Though, one of them doesn't really need protecting, _she added in her thoughts, thinking about the Phoenix and who exactly was it that was hiding behind the mask. The reminder of who the Phoenix was brought her to another event that took place just recently. It was the time when the Phoenix first met with the ISN agents. Her eyes widened with her sudden realization, _the other girl who was attending that meeting while the Phoenix was here was Kikyo-ojou-sama! And her sudden appearance might be in hopes of covering the Phoenix's tracks! _

"Lady Kaede?" chorused Takahashi-san, Akuma-san, and Takuma-san, seeing the look on Tsuki-san's face that told them she had just solved a puzzle she had been working on.

"What is it?" questioned Takahashi-san. "That goes for you as well Sesshomaru," he added upon seeing the look of contemplation on his eldest son's face.

_I cannot tell them about that incident, _panicked Tsuki-san, remembering that she couldn't betray the Phoenix's trust and figuring out that if she told them that Kikyo was attending the meeting, then they would figure out the identity of the Phoenix. This information has also given her insight that the twins may have been interchanging positions throughout the time that they had been in Japan. "It was nothing of importance." She looked around the room, "I was just thinking about how the Higurashi family had always had only one female in their family, and how this incident is unprecedented since the start of the Higurashi line," she further explained upon seeing their disbelieving faces.

Takahashi-san searched her person for a moment to see if she had been telling the truth, satisfied, he turned to his eldest son. "Son?" he gently prodded. "You have been awfully quiet throughout this conversation."

Sesshomaru looked at his father and then glanced at Inuyasha and the rest of his teammates pointedly.

"They had been paying attention to the conversation unlike yourself, who had been sitting there in contemplation."

He looked at his father again and sighed, "I was just thinking about the time when I guarded Kagome-ojou-sama."

"Oh?" the adults in the room straightened on their seat and focused their undivided attention on the young man while the rest of his unit looked at him expectantly. Quietly thinking how they were so lost in the subject unlike Sango and Sesshomaru, who both had an advantage in the subject being discuss.

"I just find it strange that they are twins," he explained.

"Why is that?" asked Akuma-san, the rest of the youngsters agreed with him when they nodded their heads.

"Because I was present during the birth of the heiress and I can honestly tell you now that Lady Midoriko had not given birth to a set of twins. There had only been one baby who was born that day and only one was sent to England with me, so why is it that there are now two of them and why are they saying that both of them had been sent to England at the same time?" he questioned, looking particularly at the youngest members of the group who had been in the same class as the supposedly twins. He was trying to see if his assumptions of what the Higurashi girls were saying were true.

"Some of the students in the room had asked a lot of questions that were directed at the twins," informed Inuyasha, his being looking quite thoughtful.

The adults looked at the others for confirmation.

They nodded with the same thoughtful expression.

"Yeah, one of our classmates asked where they were from and both of the new students said that they were from England," confirmed Rin.

"What was more strange was the fact that Bankotsu said that he grew up with Kagome-ojou-sama," added Ayame. This caused everyone in the room to look at Sesshomaru for confirmation, after all, he had been present in Kagome's life when she was younger.

Sesshomaru frowned, "that can't be right," he was very thorough in his protection of Kagome, in fact, since he wasn't officially removed from duty, he had kept tabs on certain aspects of Kagome's life. "During my time with the heiress, she had no contact with any child her age." Inuyasha frowned at this fact, imagining Kagome as a child playing alone. "In fact, she had her own private tutors, so she didn't even leave the mansions premises."

_Poor Kagome, _thought the girls, feeling guilty for how they had treated the younger girl when she had tried to apologize to them, but what she had done was still wrong.

_She told me that too,_ thought Inuyasha, remembering his conversation with Kagome on the rooftop.

"At that time, her only human contact were the maids, guards, tutors, and me in that mansion."

"Let me get this straight sonny," started Takuma-san, waving his hand around in front of him, "you are trying to tell us that Higurashi Kikyo and Kagome are not twins, and that there is a possibility that there is more to this particular Higurashi secret than meets the eye?" He stared at Sesshomaru with his piercing gaze, hoping to see into his memory, but failing miserably since he didn't have that particular talent.

Sesshomaru could only nod.

"I see." He looked at the rest of the elders in the room. "What do you think of this?"

"I think that Sesshomaru has a point," agreed Akuma-san and Takahashi-san. They looked at Tsuki-san. She was the second closest to the Higurashi family with the Takahashi couple being the first.

Tsuki-san looked at the participants in the room, all of whom were seeking answers from her. Answers that she couldn't give because she did not posses the utmost confidence that the answers that she might give them were right. For one thing, there was something that she was hiding from them due to her promise to the young girl and another thing was that she was as lost in the dark as they were when it came to the secrets that revolve around the Higurashi family. In truth, only those within that family and the princess were the only ones who had the complete knowledge of what was going on in their family. After all, the Higurashi family was amongst the oldest if not the oldest family that was interlaced with the princess's existence. Not only that, but the Higurashi family was the closest to the princess at the time of her reign before the war that had taken the princess and those closest to her away from them. It was only through Midoriko that they knew that the war against the evil of that time has not been over and that the princess and her closest companions would come back to fight with their side again. Now, the companions had been found in her current protectors, for they had always been the closest to the young princess. But those who had survived the battle had been unable to recount what had happened and therefore limiting their knowledge about their past. Amongst those who had survived were her due to her spiritual powers and Takahashi-san and his mate due to his demon blood and Takuma-san for his mage blood. "I couldn't answer this one. The Higurashi family has their own secrets that only runs in their circle due to their close proximity with the princess, and I am almost positive that they already know the location of the princess."

"WHAT?!" exploded the teens, not believing that the Higurashi family was hiding something so important from their organization.

"Calm down," advised Akuma-san in a pacifying tone. "The Higurashi has certain rights when it comes to the princess."

"These rights are?!" challenged Kouga, his eyes narrowing in frustration. The other teens were behind him on this one. They were appalled by the idea that they were being kept in the dark about who the princess was when it was supposed to be their job to protect her.

Takahashi-san sighed, getting tired of the explosions that the teens had been prone to doing since they had been informed of their duty. He massaged his temples in hopes of releasing some of his stress, "Have the lot of you not been paying attention to things we taught you?"

All teens hung their heads in shame. They had not meant to forget about all the things that they had learned, but it had been so long ago that they could not help but have a hard time trying to recall what they have learned.

Miroku was the only one who was able to meet the adult's eyes, because unlike his teammates, this area has been his focused of study since the princess was considered to be the leading force of those who had spiritual powers. Meaning that those who held such powers was more closely linked to the princess than other beings such as demons, mages, and humans, and in truth, they were only second to the Higurashi family when it came to who was the most closely linked to the princess and her power. "The Higurashi family is considered the holiest family during the era when the princess was still active and even now because of the role they played in the princess's life. No one even knows where the princess had come from or who her family is with the exception of the Higurashi family, and that is only because a female from their family who is considered as the Heiress has a very special connection with the princess." He looked at each of his teammates in the eyes, hoping that what he would tell them next would be ingrained in their brains. "Legend said that the first Lady of the Higurashi house was walking in their garden when an angel came to her and gave her a child," everyone in the room had been enthralled by Miroku's tale, and they were all at the edge of their seat hanging to every word that he was saying. "Once the baby was safely in the first Lady's arms, the angel preceded to inform her that the baby girl was the princess of this realm and that she would hold the power that would save everyone in this world. The angel also warned her that many evil beings would seek the child and would try to harm the baby. With that warning and a final kiss given to the baby, the angel disappeared as the wind gave the softest whisper of what the baby's name was.

As soon as the Lady returned to the house, she went directly to her room, but before she could fully lay the baby on her bed, the door to the room opened and in came her four years old daughter. This girl was…" he trailed off and looked at the people in the room.

"Lady Midoriko," breathed out Ayame, Rin, and Sango, looking so enthralled by the story.

Miroku smiled and nodded his head, "as soon as the young Lady Midoriko saw the baby, her whole countenance changed from that of a child filled with innocence and joy to that of someone who held knowledge far beyond her years. With a glazed look in her eyes, she walked to the baby. The first Lady could not do anything but stare at her daughter and the baby in her arms, whose eyes had finally opened to reveal the most enthralling cerulean eyes with hints of silver. The baby's eyes were as focused on the young Midoriko-sama as hers were. To the first Lady, it looked like both young girls were communicating with one another, something that she was unable to fathom. The moment that the two girls touched, a soft glow came from both of them and it eventually became brighter and brighter until it enveloped the two girls, when it died, a small crystallized sword was floating between the two young girls, and on the baby and Lady Midoriko's forehead were undecipherable symbols. They flashed and disappeared. At that moment, the princess and the heiress became forever linked, and marking every female in the Higurashi family as the sole wielder of the sword of divinity and the only one able to destroy the princess if the need ever arise.

And that is the reason why the Higurashi family hold so much power over this organization and why they were dubbed the holiest family. Their history is ingrained with the princess, and because of that link they could never truly be without contact with the princess if she was ever separated from them." The glazed look in Miroku's eyes disappeared, and he was startled when he noticed that his teammates seemed to have moved closer to him during his tale.

"Wow," breathed out Ayame and the rest of her teammates.

"That's amazing," murmured Sango as Rin nodded their head in agreement. The three girls were captivated by the tale of how their princess came to join them.

The adults looked at one another with secretive smiles as they observed the teenagers. _If they only knew their part in it_, they thought.

_**Time will reveal all**_, came a whispered murmur in the back of the adults' mind causing them all to look up, startled by the voice even though it was said by the softest tone.

_Princess? _They whispered, truly believing that it had been the voice of their princess. Takahashi-san, Takuma-san, and Tsuki-san had no qualms that it had been their princess's voice. After all, they did know the girl and had watched her grow.

They then heard a distant giggle that made them smile. Maybe this was a way for the princess to tell them that she was all right and that she was looking out for them like she had always done. _Thank you._

* * *

"You're not scared that they may figure it out sooner than you want them to?" questioned Bankotsu, looking at the twins. The three of them were standing at the highest point on the ISN headquarters surveying the events that was taking place in and out of the building. However, their presence at the headquarters was not merely to guard and observe, they were also there to find out if the organization, especially the main group, had bought what they had presented to the whole world.

"As I have told you, this group cannot be taken lightly," admonished Kagome, giving Kikyo and Bankotsu a pointed look. The two of them had been sure that Inuyasha and his friends would not be suspicious of Kikyo's sudden appearance.

Kikyo and Bankotsu hung their heads in shame for not listening to Kagome, who had spent most of her time in close proximity of the group so she would be able to predict their moves more accurately than them. Not including the fact that they had also known the group for a long while, but they may not know of them or that they had been in close proximity with Kikyo and Bankotsu.

Kagome sighed, forgiving the two, "it is fine for this will help hide the identity of the Phoenix or at least rouse some confusion in them."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Bankotsu, smiling that their sudden appearance wasn't all in vain. "I mean this was the whole point of it, wasn't it?" he looked at both girls for confirmation.

They smiled, it had been the truth since the identity of the Phoenix had been compromised they needed to find a way to sway the ISN agents to look at another direction and away from Higurashi Kagome, who was hiding many more secrets that the agency hasn't yet figured out, but if they had a constant eye on Kagome, then many of their plans would be compromised. After all, Sango and the others were still not ready to face what was ahead of them. "The plan would have been without a glitch if I had remembered _aniki_," speculated Kagome, upset at herself for forgetting that one small factor. "This also helped us in realizing that some of the memory charms that we had performed on _aniki _and the others may be starting to weaken or they are finally starting to awaken to their full potential."

The three of them continued to observe what was happening in the building and making sure that nothing harmful will be able to penetrate the headquarters' walls for several more minutes before they decided that they were needed somewhere. As they left the premises of the building, they made sure to leave some wards up that would help in keeping the headquarters hidden from unwanted eyes.

* * *

That night Inuyasha lied awake on his bed, wide-awake. For some reason, he could not seem to erase the images of Kikyo, Kagome, and the Phoenix in his head. The image of the mask falling to the ground and revealing Kagome's face had haunted him since the day before. He could not seem to shake it off, and earlier that morning, he was unable to look at Kagome without thinking of that moment in time. Though he didn't want to think of the possibility that Kagome may be the Phoenix, he also found himself unable to accept that Kikyo was the girl who had saved them the night before. It may had looked that way when Kikyo entered the class that morning, but he had an inkling that Kikyo's pointed look at them was staged and her appearance was made to cover up something that was more important than the identity of the Phoenix. Now, more than ever, he wants to be able to speak to his demon half for that side of him seemed to know something that he didn't, and he had a feeling that that something held answers to all his questions and to the events that had been happening as of late. He didn't know what exactly it was, but he would make sure that he found out soon. With that last thought in mind, Inuyasha turned over on his side and closed his eyes as he entered into a deep slumber where an image of a girl haunted it.

* * *

Kikyo looked up at the night sky from her balcony, wondering if Inuyasha's awakening had started. She knew exactly what the boy was dreaming about for she had sent that very dream. Earlier that day, it had been decided that it was time to probe Inuyasha's memories of _**her **_for it was nearing the time to test his heart's loyalty and the pureness of his desire. She just hoped that he would pass it for _**her **_sake and his.

_**I had wondered if it was time, and here you are pondering of the coming events**_, came Kagome's soft voice.

Kikyo sighed, _**I'm sorry for not telling you, but you know why this has to happen and why this way.**_

_**Unfortunately, yes I do, but I understand that you have your own duties that you must perform that comes with who you are. **_

_**Thank you for understanding. **_

Kagome smiled, _**it is no problem at all. I shall see you in the morning. I am going to retire and you should as well. **_With the end of the conversation, the linked between the twins closed for the night.

* * *

"My dear, you are up early," greeted Higurashi-san, taking a seat next to his granddaughter in their garden overlooking a lake. It was six in the morning and the sun was just rising at the horizon and there were still dew on the grasses and leaves, and the early birds were chirping as they greeted the morning with a joyous melody.

Kagome greeted her grandfather with a smile as she watched him get settled next to her. "Good morning, grandfather," she softly greeted, not wanting to break the tranquility in the garden. That morning was a complete contrast to her havoc filled evenings as she traveled across the world trying to guard everyone. It was just last night that she had taken a break from her hectic night schedule due to Bankotsu and Kikyo's insistence that she needed a break and that Bankotsu had everything under control.

Higurashi-san looked at his granddaughter at the corner of his eyes, it had been a long time since he was able to just sit with her without the worry that seemed to haunt his dear grandchild every second of her life since her arrival there in Japan. "How was your slumber?" Though he may not know all the details that entailed Kagome's life, he did know that it demanded so much of his beloved grandchild and it worried him that she was overworking herself. It was just her personality to do so.

"It was well my beloved grandfather," she teasingly answered, eyes twinkling in mirth. "Thank you, yours?"

Seeing how happy Kagome was made the old man smile inside, it had been a long time since he had seen this side of this child. "That is good to hear," he commented, "I had a well-rested night knowing that you were safely in your room and within the premises of this old mansion." He gestured to the mansion a few distance from where they were sitting.

His statement was followed by silence as both grandfather and granddaughter bathe in the first sunlight of the day. Though both may seem at peace on the outside, one of them was worrying about the coming future and what it held for his beloved grandchildren, who both held a very important role to what was arriving. He could only hope that both would be safe and would reconsider some of the plans that they had made. Looking at the young woman sitting next to him through the corner of his eyes, he could not help but think, _but you won't, won't you? _He sighed heavily, disturbing the silence that had settled between them and alerting his granddaughter.

"Grandfather?" Kagome worried, inspecting her grandfather with a concerned frown on her face.

The old man sent his grandchild a reassuring smile before looking up at the sky with a thoughtful look on his face. "Sometimes even the greatest warrior find himself or herself needing the assistance of others," he murmured in high hopes that she would fathom what he truly meant. He glanced at her again as he got up and slowly walk away.

_Grandfather_, she thought. "I understand," she softly uttered, her eyes becoming sad.

Higurashi-san paused from walking with his back towards Kagome. He looked straight at the path in front of him and looked down, "I truly hope so." _And I wish you would think about asking the help of those who are meant to protect you and Kikyo. _

As she listened to her grandfather's fading footsteps, Kagome could not help but feel as though she had been chastised and that she was disappointing her grandfather by causing him much worry. Though she understood his concern, she could not help but stand firmly with her decision to refrain the others from becoming too involve in the coming battle as much as possible. _It is for their protection. After all, it is my duty to protect them all. _

"I guess, no one can sway you from your decision, huh?" came a deep voice from behind her.

Kagome did not even react to the sudden intrusion of the voice, "Bankotsu," she said calmly while not sparing the young man a look as he stood on a tree branch of the tree near her. She had known that he had been there since she had come to the garden that morning. After all, he had always been somewhere close to her no matter what happened, ensuring that she was protected at all times.

"Hn." He jumped down from the tree and proceeded to stand next to where she was sitting.

Kagome looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes, "It seems as though no one has informed you that eavesdropping is a very bad quality," she smiled, making it known to him that she was just teasing.

"I guess so," he agreed, nodding his head and flopping down next to Kagome. He bumped her shoulder with his and said with mirth, "that was a good effort of changing the subject, but it wouldn't work since I know you like the back of my hand." He smirked, quite happy that he beat Kagome in her specialty; she was known for being the best subject changer in the Higurashi household and even at their old school.

Kagome smirked back, undaunted, "that is only so due to your stalker-like behaviors, oh shadow of mine!" she dramatically announced, "though in truth you might be better than my own shadow," she added with a pseudo thoughtful look on her face.

As he listened to her monologue, Bankotsu suddenly developed a tick on his left eye. "Oh?" he prodded, wanting an explanation on the fact that he was being ranked higher than her shadow.

Kagome made a small sound of agreement and sent Bankotsu a smile that announced how much fun she was having at his expense, "Because, shadows fade and disappear when it is too bright out or when there is nothing illuminating it, but you sir," she gave him a pointed look, "on the other hand, seemed to be always present wherever I may be, and that concludes the fact that you," another pointed look, "are quite better than my own shadow though shadows are far less annoying," she added offhandedly. At the end of her explanation, Kagome smiled at him teasingly while Bankotsu sighed inwardly, he just could not get mad at her.

He suddenly heard a sound of a whip in his head, _**Whipped**_, mocked Kikyo while laughing obnoxiously. _Why you…_he thought, aggravated by the sound of Kikyo's laugh.

The teasing tone in Kagome's voice suddenly disappeared as it was replaced by complete seriousness, "but you know…" she glanced at him through her eyelashes, "I thank you for that," her voice turned even softer as she stared at the suddenly gaping young man in front of her.

"Kagome," he breathed out, noting her misty eyes.

"I would not know what to do with myself if I ever lost you," she continued as she looked down, ashamed at her show of weakness, "or the others," a drop of tear fell to the ground as Bankotsu looked at his charge with soft eyes because he would never look at her with pity.

"Oh Kagome-chan," breathed out another voice, this one much softer than Bankotsu's as Kagome suddenly found herself in Kikyo and Bankotsu's soothing embrace. "We'll always be there for you," she soothed, running her fingers through Kagome's hair in a soothing manner, "right Bankotsu?" she looked at the young man over Kagome's shoulder.

"Definitely."

"Thank you." The three friends tightened their hold on each other in reassurance. As the sun continued its ascent in the morning sky, the bond between the three young people strengthened.

On one of the balcony of the Higurashi manor, Higurashi-san smiled as he turned around to enter his room, happy that his younger granddaughter had such a strong support from her sister and childhood friend. _Special friend, I should say, _he thought fondly. The sight that he had seen had reassured him that everything might just turn out right this time around. He just hoped that the others would show this much loyalty and affection to the young lady. _But it makes one wonder what their reaction might be once they finally learn of the truth that had taken place in the past_, as this came to his thoughts, Higurashi-san seemed to age even more. He could only hope that nothing would change in their bonds.

* * *

"Ayame-chan!" called out Rin in a singsong voice as she ran into the classroom with a huge smile on her face, it was quite obvious that she was in high spirit that morning just by looking at her beaming face and the way she was almost bouncing as she stood next to Ayame's seat.

Ayame furrowed her brow and gave her friend a speculating look, quite suspicious of her friend's attitude that morning. It was just not normal for Rin to come to school with such a happy composure; in fact, it was normally the complete opposite of happy since the young girl had no interest in school. She even calls it her personal torture chamber. "What got you in such a good mood?" she interrogated with an eyebrow raised.

Rin giggled, "Hmm…" was Rin's secretive reply as she went to her seat with a happy sigh.

Ayame looked at Sango questioningly as soon as the other girl entered the room right behind Rin, "what's up with her?" she asked, quite curious about her friend's uncharacteristic behavior.

There was a glint in Sango's eyes as she replied, "Sesshomaru," was her one word reply before sitting down on her seat.

"Oh?" Ayame instantly perked up, her complete attention now on Sango. _I smell something juicy! _Was the thought running through her head, her grin reaching from ear to ear. It was a wonder that her tail didn't pop out from the concealment spell because if it did, it was sure to be wagging enthusiastically in her excitement.

Sango nodded with a grin as the two leaned towards each other conspiratorially, "Apparently our Rin is going on a date with her Sesshomaru-sama!" she dramatically proclaimed with her hands clasped together in front of her and with stars in her eyes as she pretended to be a love struck school girl.

"H-hey!" yelled out Rin, flushed red from embarrassment upon hearing what Sango was saying. She could not help but look around the room and make sure that there wasn't anyone who heard what Sango was saying. Unfortunately for her, there were already a few people in the room and all of them were looking at the three of them in mirth. If it was possible, Rin's face turned even redder as the girls in the room including her so-called friends giggled. It just so happened that the only people in the room were all girls. "Sango!" she reprimanded, sending her friend a death glare.

Sango only giggled, taking joy in embarrassing her friend. "What?" she questioned innocently, looking at Rin with wide eyes and batting her eyelashes.

"Grr…"

"Did she do something wrong, Rin-chan?" chimed in Ayame, the same amusement present in her eyes.

"S-shut up!" she yelled, crossing her arms and pouting, the redness still present on her cheeks.

Sango and Ayame laughed, "oh relax Rin!" they exclaimed, "it's not like it's a secret!"

Poor Rin turned even redder as she seemed to sink further and further down her chair, _I wish a hole would open up so I can disappear, _she prayed. "What do you mean by that?" she muttered, her hands covering her face.

"Oh Suzuki-san, everyone in this classroom knows about your crush on Takahashi-san," Ayumi, one of the girls that they often talked with, replied.

"Eh?!" Rin exclaimed, not believing that she was so obvious. _Spy training is useless if it wasn't even able to help hide my secret, _she thought hopelessly.

There was silent for a moment as the girls let Rin soaked in what they had just informed her. "So Rin-chan…" called out Ayame.

"Yeah?" too bad she didn't see the predatory gleam in Ayame's emerald eyes.

The glint in Ayame's eyes sparkled, "you and Sesshomaru, eh?" she teased, gently jabbing the girl with her elbow as she suddenly appeared right next to the girl.

"Not true!" Rin exclaimed, covering her face with her hands.

"Really?" chimed the girls in the room.

"Uh-huh," was her quiet reply.

"Then, why did Sango-chan—"

"—because she's a liar!" yelled out Rin, it came out muffled though because of her hands. "his father just wanted us to help out with some work at his company," she continued with a coded reply so their classmates wouldn't find out about the ISN organization. After all, it was underground, and not even government officials knew of its existence.

The girls all sighed, "that's all?"

She nodded her head, still not looking up from her hands.

"That's too bad," said Ayame, disappointed that the gossip was not as juicy as she thought. _A mission, huh? _"Well then," she stood up, "better luck next time, Rin!" she cheered, patting Rin's head.

"Good morning Higurashi-san, Higurashi-san, Hiro-san," greeted some of their classmates, announcing the presence of the three transfer students.

Upon hearing the greetings, the atmosphere around Rin, Ayame, and Sango suddenly changed from carefree to serious as they observed the three transfer students with covert calculative gazes.

Bankotsu, Kagome, and Kikyo smiled inwardly at the reactions that they invoke in the three ISN agents. _**How cute, they think they are being sneaky, **_commented Kikyo.

_**Onee-san,**_ came Kagome's chastising voice, not liking how Kikyo and Bankotsu seemed to be making fun of the three.

_**What? **_Demanded Kikyo, her voice filled with mirth, _**you know you find it cute too. **_

_**Somehow your use of cute seems to have a negative connotation to it. **_

Kikyo only laughed inwardly.

Kagome sighed.

"Good morning," the three greeted back to those who had greeted them.

_**My, my, not even a day and I already have admirers, **_Bankotsu's narcissist side turned up. _**Of course, that's my charm for you. **_

The twins had to stop themselves from hitting their foreheads in exasparation. Both of them had almost forgotten this side of Bankotsu.

As they proceeded to their seat, Kagome couldn't help but glance at the desk behind her. _**Oh, Takahashi-kun has not arrived yet? **_

_**Don't worry, I'm sure that he is on his way, **_reassured Kikyo.

_**I shall heed your word for it. **_

"Higurashi, morning," murmured someone behind Kagome. Kagome turned around and saw Inuyasha about to sit on his seat. She gave him a nod in acknowledgement.

_**See, he's fine. **_

_**Has it been?**_

_**No. **_

_**I see, **_she sighed, relieve and worried at the same time.

Unknown to the twins, the whole class' attention were on them. The class watched as both girls had sat down at the same time and now both girls were taking out books from their bags, set it on their table, sighed, opened them, and started reading at the same time. While the class was looking amazed by the synchronized movement of the Higurashi twins, Bankotsu only rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was used to that kind of behavior from the girls. He and Souta had seen it enough times that they were already immune to the fascination that the entire class was giving the two. Even the ISN agents were looking at both of them with a degree of awe and disbelief. The actions of the twins and the complete synchronized movement of their every move almost swayed them from their theory that the twins may not be twins at all. But how could that be, when both girls were not only similar in appearance, but also in mannerism and everything else. It made them wonder how well Sesshomaru's memory of the past was and if the Higurashi family had only made it look like only one baby was born that day, so that the agents and others present that day wouldn't know that there were two heiresses. They would not be surprised if the Higurashi family had pulled something like that. Besides it would not be the only thing that the Higurashi family was capable at doing. _I mean look at what just happened a few days ago, _thought Sango, her attention still focused on the girls, who seemed to be also reading at the same pace seeing as they were flipping the pages of their books at the same time. _Even the expressions on their faces are similar! _She exclaimed, tired of all the uncertainty that has been happening around her lately.

_How could Sesshomaru think that these two are not twins? _Thought Ayame, staring at the twins at the corner of her eyes as she stood next to Sango's desk.

While everyone's thoughts were about the similarity of the twins, Inuyasha was deep in thought about the girl that had taken over his dreams the night before. For some reason, the dream didn't feel like a dream at all. In fact, it felt more like a memory, and no matter how much he tried to convince himself that the dream was just a dream and not some kind of memory, something inside of him was determined to argue that it had been a memory. _From long ago,_ he thought to himself, looking out the window in contemplation.

_Inuyasha, _worried Kagome, biting the inside of her cheek as she continued to pretend to be interested in the book she was reading, when in truth, the words she was reading was the farthest thing from her mind.

Inuyasha sighed, _who are you? _he questioned to no one, _why can't I remember you? _

Not a moment too long, Kagome found herself worrying her lips. Inuyasha's silence was bothering her, Kikyo and Bankotsu could tell. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She closed the book she was reading with a loud snap, startling everyone around her, and preceded to leave the room in a hurry. Her earlier actions had made Kikyo and Bankotsu to almost jump out of their seats to console her, but the look on her face had stopped them both from following her. "Kagome?" worried Kikyo, looking at her twin sister with concern.

The other girl didn't answer as she disappeared out the door.

_Higurashi-san, _thought Sango, Ayame, Rin, and Miroku, looks of concern staining their faces as they followed Kagome's hurried exit with their eyes.

_Kagome? _Thought Inuyasha with worried eyes, the sound of the book closing had startled him out of his thoughts.

"Don't," said a voice that was filled with authority. Inuyasha looked up and saw that it had been Bankotsu who had spoken. When he saw that Inuyasha was about to follow Kagome, the young man had taken it upon himself to stop him before whatever it was that Kagome needed to do was compromised.

Inuyasha glared at him, not liking the fact that Bankotsu was stopping him from consoling Kagome. After all, the younger heiress did not leave the room with a happy expression; in fact, the look on Kagome's face was filled with worry and urgency. Something must have gone wrong, though he and everyone else in the room didn't know what exactly it was.

Bankotsu only shook his head, not bothered by Inuyasha's glare. He had faced enough deadly glares from both Higurashi girls to last him a lifetime and their glares had been much more scary and worrisome compared to Inuyasha's. He shivered at the thought. "She'll be fine," he reassured those who were worrying about the younger Higurashi female. "Kikyo?" he searched for back up seeing as half the room looked like they didn't believe him. It was a good thing that the bell hasn't rung yet.

"Don't bother her," said Kikyo in a clipped tone, going back to reading her book. _So it wasn't him she was worried about, _she concluded, relief suddenly flooded through her.

* * *

The door that lead to the roof slammed open, "Kaguya," was softly uttered by Kagome as she calmly walked out on the roof staring at the back of a woman dressed in an all white yukata.

The aforementioned woman turned to face Kagome with a look of complete seriousness. "My lady," she greeted, there was no smile or warmth in her words or appearance, her cerulean eyes staring coldly at the girl in front of her.

"Why have you come?" queried Kagome, leaning on the wall next to the door. Though she may look calm and collected on the outside, Kagome was actually on a brink of a panic attack on the inside. It was not very often that Kaguya would leaver her post, and the only time that she does was when something with the utmost importance had required her to leave her post, but it was mostly life or death situations. That was the reason behind Kagome's hasty exit, it did not sit well with her when she had sensed Kaguya's aura.

As Kaguya surveyed the young woman in front of her, she realized that the little girl that she used to care for had finally grown up into a fine young lady, "Calm your heart dear child," she soothed, a gentle smile appearing on her face. The appearance of her smile completely changed her countenance, the cold woman earlier had completely disappeared only to be replaced by a woman who held such gentleness and compassion. She walked towards Kagome, and as she reached her, she caressed the young woman's cheeks fondly.

Kagome closed her eyes, exhaling loudly. "You gave me such a fright," she whispered tiredly as her heart rate slowed.

"I know, my dear," consoled Kaguya, embracing the girl. As Kaguya's embrace surrounded her, Kagome almost burst out into tears. It had been a very long time since she had been held so gently, and at that moment, she realized that it had been the touch of a mother that she had missed the most. After all, she wasn't able to spend much time with her mother because she had been separated from her since the day of her birth.

A few minutes passed with just Kaguya holding Kagome as she continuously whispered how everything was going to be fine. "Everything shall be fine," she murmured, her voice soft and filled with warmth.

Kagome made a small noise and burrowed further into her embrace. "Why have you come?" she repeated, this time less forceful as she burrowed her face at the crook of Kaguya's neck, _so warm. _

Sighing, Kaguya squeezed the girl reassuringly and kissed her on her forehead before holding Kagome at arms length, so she was able to see the youngest Higurashi female. Her eyes softened even more as she saw the teary gaze of the strongest agent of the Elite Division, her façade of strength completely dissipated. Since she had been born into this world, she only remembered being able to drop her barriers and be completely unguarded when it was just her and Kaguya because sometimes even the strongest person had to rely on someone. "Breathe easy my child," she reassured again as her and Kagome locked eyes, cerulean staring into brown with deep reassurance, "I have only come here to check on you," she smiled and ruffled Kagome's hair fondly. "I have been watching you more closely this past few weeks," she explained, seeing the question in Kagome's eyes. She walked towards the edge of the roof and sat on it while patting the spot next to her in invitation. Kagome obliged without a thought. It was just natural for her to oblige Kaguya's request. After all, it was not that often that she could see this particular person, _Far too long, _she thought as she settled next to Kaguya on the edge of the roof. She gave the older woman a sidelong glanced before closing her eyes in complete surrender to the calm that Kaguya seemed to always carry with her.

"I see," Kagome sighed. "I must have worried you greatly."

"Mmm," agreed Kaguya without a hint of hesitation. She smiled at the girl and looked down on the ground, surveying as the last minute students tried to run to the school in hopes that the gate would not close on them as the bell rang to warn them of the time. A teacher stood by the gate, cheering on some of the students that were forcing themselves to run faster. "You tire yourself, my dear," she said, a hint of worry in her voice. "We were unable to foresee this much pain in your life, and therefore we had unknowingly sent you on a mission that held so much unknown, and for that we worry about what may come at the end of this."

All this time, Kagome was looking down as she listened to what the older woman was saying. "It is alright," she reassured, looking up at the sky with eyes filled with understanding and complete acceptance of the her purpose of existence. "We had known that sacrifices were inevitable in this battle, and I do not regret that you and the others have chosen me." She surveyed the people below them with only tardiness as their worry, "After all, they must be saved." _Their carefree attitudes and innocence must be preserved. _

"I had hoped that it would not come to this," sighed Kaguya, giving the girl a sidelong glance. She was in constant awe to the things that this particular child had done in her life and her constant show of selflessness. Any others would have given up due to the things that she had seen and participated in whether it was her choice or not. It had been the main reason why this child was chosen and not the others. _You have suffered for far too much and your sufferings have not yielded enough joy in your life, and here you are still fighting for that cause that was assigned to you and your soul has remained as pure as when you had started, _she thought adoringly. "Though I must ask you to reconsider your decision to pursuing this battle alone," she requested. "If not them or Kikyo, at least let Bankotsu share more of your burdens." Cerulean and brown found themselves meeting once more, this time at a stare down, "he had been there with you for everything you have experienced," she explained, trying to further her argument in hopes of persuading Kagome to at least let one person share in her grief.

As Kagome stared at the cerulean eyes that were filled with concern and care for her being, her resolve started to weaken and she found herself reconsidering her decisions. She had been set on continuing with it, but now that she could see that she was causing many people to be agonize with worry due to her decision, she realized that it might not be the best decision, "Understood," she obliged with a sigh, showing that she was not very partial about this turn of events.

Kaguya smiled, the tears in her eyes disappearing to be replaced by a glitter of happiness, "that is all we ask." She stood, "Do not strain yourself anymore dear child or it would not be me who would be coming to intervene," she warned with a wink. She kissed Kagome's forehead, and disappeared into the wind as tinkles of her laughter remained. _**Until next time**_, were the words carried by the wind.

Kagome closed her eyes and smiled, _Yes, 'til the next we meet, but for now_, her eyes flashed open, determination glinting in her eyes, _I must resolve a small problem in the north. _She disappeared, leaving only a single silver feather in her wake.

* * *

Kikyo's eyes widened for a fraction and she looked outside, _Don't hurt yourself too much, _she hoped. She smiled and raised her hand.

"Yes, Higurashi-san?" asked the teacher.

"My sister came down with a harsh headache and had gone home to rest," she informed her teacher.

The teacher became overcome with worry, "is she going to be fine?" she worried.

"Yes, if everything turns out fine, then she should be back for the afternoon classes," she assuaged. As she said this, she watched as five people in the room sighed with relief. She smirked inwardly, _no discretion at all. _

_**You got that right, **_agreed Bankotsu with a smirk of his own.

_**Get out of my head, narcissist! **_Snapped Kikyo, appalled by Bankotsu's invasion of her mind. _Really, _she puffed her cheeks in annoyance, _can't even have any peace and quiet in my own head. _

Bankotsu snickered quietly, confusing those who happened to be sitting close to him.

* * *

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Phoenix stood on water as she stared at the horizon with narrowed eyes. Her hair fluttering as the breeze continuously passed through. The smell of salt water and the fresh sea breeze permeated the surrounding. The sunlight serving as her spotlight as she stood in silence like a watchful sentinel, her concentration not dissipating. Her clothes whipped around her as the breeze picked up. The sound of the seagull and the roar of the ocean were the only thing that disturbed the silence.

Suddenly the peaceful wind turned vicious as it picked up and almost blown the Phoenix away, who looked up and if it were possible her eyes narrowed even more, but this time her eyes held deep distaste at the beast that appeared before her. As she stared at the beast, she held out her right hand and her crystallized sword appeared. It glinted in the sun and reflected the various colors of the rainbow.

The beast was a chimera; its head was that of a human male with a lion's body and serpent's tail. Its piercing red eyes were solely focused on the Elite agent. The chimera breathed out and smoke puffed out of his mouth. "Who are you?!" he demanded in a deep growl that caused the water below him to tremor.

The Phoenix's eyes flashed with intense anger at the beast, "the rescuer of your prisoners," she answered with a voice that held the confidence of someone who was sure to beat any obstacle in their way, "and the person who shall end your life!" she said in a deadly whisper, her fist tightening on the hilt of her sword. The swords tip was submerged in the water causing a ripple in the water to appear.

The chimera didn't even get to reply as it was forced to dodge the Phoenix's sudden attack. As the Elite agent continued her attack and the chimera dodging at the best of its ability, droplets of water rose and surrounded the dueling duo. At the silence of the morning sky, the two battled with everything they had. Even the ocean's roar had disappeared and the seagull was unseen. It was the calmest that the ocean had been, which was the complete opposite of the event that was taking place above it.

"You will never beat me you foolish human!" the chimera roared, whipping its tail and hitting the Phoenix square on her stomach and sending her flying backwards and into the water.

As she was sinking into the ocean, she couldn't help but think of everyone who worries about her and those lives that she was supposed to be saving. The fact that she was sinking into the deep unknown didn't even daunted her as she only thought of the best way to get rid of the chimera and to save the innocents whose lives were riding on her success. With her eyes trained on the sun above the surface of the ocean, she closed her eyes for under a second and the next thing that the chimera new, droplets of water were flying everywhere and he was suddenly flying backwards in the air with an agonized and surprised look on his face.

"I apologize I think my temper is getting the best of me," mocked the Phoenix as she floated in midair with her clothes soaking wet and her hair matted to her face. The mask seemed to be stuck on her face even more due to the water. Her sword reappearing in her right hand and she pointed it at the chimera in challenge. With a smirk on her face she taunted the chimera, "Oh and was that suppose to hurt?" she looked towards the spot in the ocean where she had fallen.

The chimera gritted its teeth and smoke puffed out of its nose as his nostrils flared in anger. With a loud growl, he blew fire towards the Elite agent.

The Phoenix did not even blinked as the fire headed her way. As it was getting nearer, she simply shook her head appearing as though she was disappointed by the chimera's attack. Rolling her eyes, the Phoenix raised her left hand with a yawn while the chimera watched as the fire was absorbed through the agent's palm. "Tch. Is that all?" she mocked, flipping her hair condescendingly.

He growled, anger swelling in him at the girl's mocking. Without a second thought, he flew straight to the girl in an attempt for an attack. _How troublesome, _thought the Phoenix, doing a summersault in the air and landing a few feet away from the chimera. She swung her sword downwards and a bright silver light headed for her enemy with a torrent of water surrounding it.

Her attack hit the chimera dead on causing it to scream in agony as blood began to drip from its wound. It fell into the water, but before it was fully submerged, it raised itself high into the air and went for a dive heading straight at the agent.

She looked up and the wind blew as torrents of waves crashed into the ocean. The clouds in the sky suddenly started developing and the blue sky began to turn darker. She flicked her sword to the side and she stared at the chimera that was heading for her with narrowed eyes. She closed her eyes in concentration, waiting as the wind and water around her seemed to calm. When the chimera was at a certain point in the sky, her eyes flew open and she was suddenly soaring upwards with her sword on her side. The speed she was soaring and the chimera was diving was almost as fast as that of a missile. To any onlooker, it only looked as though a flash of blue and silver was rising to the sky while a spot of black was dropping down in a fast speed.

With eyes narrowed in concentration, the Phoenix swung her sword as soon as the chimera was at striking distance. As the sword and the chimera's claw clashed, there was a flash of light and the water rose to the sky while the two combatants flew backwards at a fast rate. There were two splashes of water as both fell into the ocean; both of them plummeted towards the ocean's floor. It was a wonder that the Elite agent was able to stand the pressure when she was too close to the ocean floor. Her eyes flashed silver and she was skyrocketing upwards again. The girl didn't even get the chance to take a breather as she found herself blocking the tail that was heading for her. She back flipped and avoided the tail, but she failed to block the chimera's claw as droplets of crimson rained down on the ocean below them, the smell of blood permeating the air. She hang limp like a rag doll from the chimera's deadly claw with her eyes clinched in agony as her hold on her sword slackened.

* * *

Inuyasha's head snapped to the sky outside, a sense of worry suddenly consuming him, _Kagome, _he suddenly thought. He grew even more anxious as his eyes landed on the empty desk in front of him though he had no idea why he was feeling so anxious about the younger Higurashi twin.

Several eyes snapped to Bankotsu's direction as he let out a pain-filled gasped, his hand clutched his right side, "Kagome," he gasped out, his eyes clinched in pain.

As Kikyo watched Bankotsu almost double over with pain, she could not help but clench her fist in worry. Her eyes glazing over with concern, _please be alright_, she hoped.

"Hiro-san?" called the teacher, concern for his student shining in his eyes, "are you alright young man?" He touched Bankotsu's shoulder.

With one last painful gasp, he straightened on his seat and nodded at the teacher in reassurance, but his eyes locked with Kikyo's as they communicated silently.

_**Is she?**_

_**She's fine, **_he reassured. _**Nothing too serious. **_

_**When I get my hands on that girl…**_

Despite his worry and the throbbing pain on his left side, Bankotsu found himself in the verge of laughter as he heard Kikyo's statement. _**You can't**_, he disappointedly informed.

Kikyo raised a brow.

_**It was Elite business.**_

She sighed.

He chuckled inwardly.

* * *

Her inattention only lasted for a second as she adapted to the pain. With a painful groan and eyes watering in agony, she raised her left hand and held the chimera's arm, who didn't know what happened next as the Phoenix's whole being was engulfed by a silver light, "farewell," she whispered.

The chimera screamed in pain as it slowly disintegrated, the dust that it turned to shined with purity as it was purified by her powers. With the dust surrounding her like sparkling stars, the Phoenix held her injured side as the sparkle in her eyes disappeared to be replaced by agony. She shook her head and without a pause dove into the water causing there to be a patch of red water at the location that she had disappeared to. As she plummeted towards the floor of the ocean, her left hand did not leave its spot on her right side and neither did the grimace of pain on her face. There were no other thoughts in her head except for worry about the humans that the chimera had gotten a hold of.

She looked around the ocean floor, looking for a particular spot that she was sure would lead to the chimera's quarters. _There! _She headed for the direction of what seemed to be an underwater cave. Once inside, she found that the inside was dry and the water had somehow stopped at the entrance of the cave. As she walked calmly inside, she covertly surveyed the area for any sign of the children who had been held hostage by the chimera that she had just defeated. _Where are they? _She thought, walking around the cave in search of them, there was worry in her heart that she may have been too late. As she reached the back of the long cave, the Phoenix gasped as she saw ten sleeping children inside a huge and rusty cage.

Overwhelmed for the well-being of the children, she waved her right hand and the cage turned to dust, freeing the children. _Time to leave this place, _she thought with gladness, the sparkle back in her eyes. Once she was standing close to the children, she closed her eyes and teleported them out of the cave.

* * *

The ISN agents paused in their work as a bright light illuminated the lobby; all of them gaping in shock once the light dissipated because there before their eyes were ten unconscious children. It was the children that they had been looking for, but it wasn't them who held their interest; it was the girl who was sitting down in the middle of them. The girl whose clothes was torn in various places and was stained with blood, in fact, the only thing that seemed to be in a perfect state was the mask that was hiding her identity.

The door slammed open causing its hinges to squeak in protest from the rough treatment. Not a moment too long, three worried adults burst into the room with faces filled with panic. "Ojou-sama!" exclaimed Tsuki-san, running into the room like someone who was being chased by a bull. "Are you alright?" she knelt next to the girl and checked her over. Her hands fluttering around the girl in anxiety while the agents in the lobby along with Takahashi-san and Takuma-san watched her with odd looks. They had been startled by the fact that Tsuki-san had called the young girl 'ojou-sama' and was acting like a mother hen as she hovered over the girl worriedly.

The Phoenix took a hold of Tsuki-san's hand, therefore causing the older woman to pause in her worried movements and to look at the young woman. "I am well," she answered, smiling under her mask in hopes of reassuring Tsuki-san, "the children," her voice held concern as her eyes fell on the children surrounding her.

Tsuki-san nodded in understanding and stood after squeezing the Elite agents hands, "Alright people!" she called out, voice filled with authority, "you heard the girl. Stop your gaping and take the children to the infirmary for a thorough check up and after return them to their parents!" she commanded.

"I must go now," informed the Elite spy, standing up and glancing at the three elders before slowly disappearing even before the three adults could try to pressure her into getting herself check over.

* * *

Lunch hour was just ending and those who had chosen to eat at the cafeteria and anywhere else in the school was heading back to their classroom. While everyone else had continued with their afternoon without a hitch, but those who headed to room 3-1 had a surprise coming to them for what greeted them when they entered the room was far beyond the normal happening of their normal afternoon.

There in the middle of the classroom stood the Higurashi twins glaring at each other while Hiro Bankotsu seemed to be trying to mediate between the two with his palms in front of him and waving them back and forth in hopes of calming the two girls, "now, now ladies," he soothed, looking quite sheepish as his eyes darted from one girl to the other. "We are in a public establishment," he said in a quiet voice, hoping that that fact would sink in and Kikyo would calm down.

"How could you do something that reckless?!" screamed Kikyo, her aloof composition gone and was replaced by an almost rabid person. The look that she was sending the younger twin would have caused the bravest man on Earth to turn and bail screaming like a little girl. As it was, Inuyasha and the rest of his team had to force themselves to remain lax because that glare was getting to them. Those who were witnessing the fight couldn't quite understand how Kagome was able to remain so calm and aloof at the whole situation. In fact, the girl was looking quite bored with eyes that seemed to be drooping.

Kikyo continued her rambling while starting to pace the room with nostrils flaring and muttering things that the onlookers couldn't understand. "Now Kikyo, calm down," requested Bankotsu, though he refused to move any closer to the raging girl, but the class couldn't understand why he was choosing to stand so close to what seemed to be the line of fire of Kikyo's anger, who just covered her mouth and yawned tiredly. If it were any of them, they would make sure to stay far away from Kikyo and Kagome, her target for the moment.

"Calm down," she repeated in a deadly calm voice, causing the hairs on the back of everyone's neck except Kagome to rise. "You," she stopped pacing and sent Bankotsu a look that almost caused the young boy to wet his pants, "expect me to CALM DOWN?!" she demanded, for a second there the students in the room thought they saw flames behind the girl.

"Y-yes," squeaked Bankotsu, he cowered behind Kagome, who seemed to be the only one unaffected by Kikyo's glares and angry aura. The other guys in he room could not blame him from cowering like a little girl and for the fact that he just squeaked because they would have too.

Kikyo growled.

He flinched. He could not quite understand how Kikyo's anger became transferred to him.

Taking pity on Bankotsu, Kagome finally decided to intervene, "Onee-chan, calm yourself," she quietly demanded, walking to the enrage girl and setting a hand on her head. The class almost passed out when Kagome patted her sister's head like she was a mere dog, expecting Kikyo to do some bodily harm on the girl. "I am here, as you can see," she continued, her voice taking a soothing tone. "Now," her voice cheered, "abate this anger of yours before all of our classmates faint from fear." She gestured to everyone in the room before walking to her seat with much grace that it almost looked like she was floating. Once there, she proceeded to sit down and look out the window, completely dismissing what had just been happening moments before.

Kikyo sighed in defeat, _damn those eyes of hers! _She cursed, disappointed in herself for not being able to stay angry at her sister. Her eyes landed on Bankotsu and the rest of the class causing her to sigh inwardly, "I am sorry for that moment of misbehavior," she apologized, shamefaced. Although her shameful look only lasted for a few moments before her aloof countenance returned, and she floated to her seat like what her sister had done and settled on her seat quite the same way as her sister had.

The class almost face-faulted to the ground as the air in the room cleared. They all exhaled in relief and returned to their seat but not without sending the twins a few glances as some of them wondered what had caused the elder Higurashi to lose her cool and wondering what the younger Higurashi had done to be subjected to that anger. All of them also felt sorry for Bankotsu who seemed to always accompany the girls wherever they go; they were sure that if it were any of them, they would die in an early age for the constant heart attack from that terrifying anger. _They are human after all, _they thought. The twins had almost looked like such perfect beings that they were bordering on being considered angels or goddesses in their classmates' thoughts.

"Higurashi," murmured Inuyasha, looking at the girl in front of him.

She turned and looked at him with searching eyes. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?" he searched her with his eyes for any sign of injury, his eyes landing on her right side. He had noticed that there was an imbalance in Kagome's movement earlier; it wasn't as graceful as normal and he had seen her tensing whenever she turned.

Her brows furrowed, "yes, why do you ask?" she questioned, confuse by Inuyasha's concern.

He shook his head and sighed, _I guess I'm not important enough for you to tell me what happened, huh? _He depressingly thought, "nothing," he muttered, looking away from her and resting his cheek on his open palm. "How's your head?" he questioned, though it wasn't what he really wanted to ask her.

_Head? _She thought, confuse, and it might have shown on her face because Inuyasha straightened in his seat and stared at her like he was dissecting her every thought with his penetrating gaze, "You had a headache this morning, didn't you?" he questioned, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Her eyes widened in realization, "Oh!" she sweated a little under his scrutinizing gaze, "yes, headache…" she giggled, though a bit nervously. _**Thank you for the warning dear sister, **_she sarcastically transmitted to her sister's thought, giving her sister a sidelong glance filled with annoyance.

She heard a nervous giggle, _**Oops, sorry. **_

"It is gone now," she informed Inuyasha, making it a point to look him straight in the eye to deter him from thinking that she was lying. "Our doctors are quite great when it comes to caring for the members of our family," she added, hoping that he would buy her obvious lie.

Inuyasha gave her a suspicious look one more time before deciding that he would pretend to believe her, "hn." He looked away from her again and stared at the sky outside.

She inwardly sighed in relief and turned back to the front of the room the same time as their teacher entered to begin class.

* * *

"Huh?"

"What's wrong Sango-chan?" asked Rin, seeing the look of confusion on her friends face.

Sango didn't answer instead she let whatever it was in her shoe locker that caught her interest to answer for her as she pulled out a book that look very familiar. "NO WAY!" exclaimed Rin and Ayame, moving over to Sango and staring at the book in her hand.

"Isn't that?" Rin pointed at the book.

"Uh huh." Sango nodded.

"How?" Ayame took the book and started flipping through it.

Sango shrugged, "I don't know."

"Strange," muttered Ayame.

"Is there a note or anything?" asked Rin, peering at Sango's shoe locker expecting to see some kind of note that would tell them why the book was there.

"No," answered Sango, still looking shock.

"Kagome, let's go!" they heard Bankotsu call out. They look up to see Bankotsu and Kikyo standing not too far away from them waving Kagome over.

"Hai!" called out Kagome, walking towards them. Before she was fully out the room, she turned around and Sango found herself staring at sparkling brown eyes. Kagome smiled and turned before running to her waiting sister and friend.

_Of course it was you, _Sango thought with a smile as she looked down at the book that she took back from Ayame. _Who else could it had been? _She opened the book cover and a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. It landed on her feet and revealed the message inside.

**I believe you wanted to read this. **

There was no word of apology in the letter but something in Sango's heart told her that everything between her and the younger heiress was cleared and the next time she would see the girl, she would finally forgive her and converse with her again like the first day that they had meet. _I forgive you, _she silently thought.

She looked at the title of the book again, _Shikon: A Princess's Gem_, and smiled, she looked up and stared at Kagome's disappearing back.

"HIGURASHI KAGOME!" she called out, a smile still lighting her face.

Kagome paused but did not turn around to look at her, but it was enough for Sango. "YOU ARE ONE STRANGE GIRL!" she yelled with a laugh.

Kagome giggled and gave a backwards wave as she walked away with her sister and friend.

_Silly girl, _Sango's eyes sparkled as her hold on the book tightened.


	7. Chapter 6: Angels and Dreams

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not owned by me. It is owned by Rumiko Takahashi along with most of the characters, though the plot belongs to me.

**Chapter 6:**

_Angels and Dreams_

Saturday: a day when most students would find a chance to rest and rejuvenate from the constant demands of school. A day when both young and old would both indulge themselves in relaxation as they free themselves from their hectic lives. At least that was true for those who didn't attend cram school or those who didn't live in the Higurashi manor. Nor was it true for ISN agents. And unlike their peers, the Higurashi twins and Bankotsu found themselves drowning from the swamp of work they must do that Saturday morning. For one thing, the twins were needed at a press conference. A press conference they were not looking forward to. Besides, if they had a choice in the matter, it would be at the bottom of their priority list. And if they were anyone but someone with Higurashi blood, then it would not even be on the list. As it was, that press conference would benefit them more than it would anyone else. So it was not a matter of like or dislike, it was a matter of necessity. That conference was meant to answer people's various questions about Kikyo's unexpected arrival. And unofficially, it would serve as a medium to move the eyes away from the Higurashi secrets.

Besides the conference, the twins and Bankotsu also had work to do concerning the ISN agents and the safety of the world. The rest—as they say—was easy picking.

First thing on their itinerary was the press conference at 9 a.m. that morning. It was the sole reason why three teenagers and a pre-teen woke—woken up, in some cases—at six that morning. Two were already dressed and enjoyably eating their breakfast. On another hand, two were still bleary-eyed with hairs sticking out in every which way. Both brother and sister were just woken up either by their trusty maid or an alarm clock, which was the case in Kikyo's case. She was responsible enough to know that though she loved her sleep, forfeiting it was even more necessary. Reliable as Kikyo was, it still did not mean that she would be happy to wake up at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday unlike a morning person—Kagome—who probably got a thrill on waking up early. In fact, the raven-haired girl had almost bitten Bankotsu and her grandfather's head off for being too cheery and loud that early in the day. It had almost seemed like the two males had forgotten which of the twins they were talking to for a few seconds. Because unlike her sister, Kagome was very much a morning person who would always have a smile on her face in the mornings. In fact, she was the earliest to wake that morning. Though it was probably because she had a very fitful night's sleep. The worry of being faced with more than a hundred reporters and the questions they would ask. Her worry laid more on the fact that some reporters could be quite rabid when they think that there was something grand about a story that might just be the answer on furthering their careers. Those thoughts and worries carried over into the Higurashi family dining hall as she ate her breakfast.

The Higurashi family dining hall was located on the first floor of the manor. It was a grand room—about the size of a basketball court—and was immaculately clean with no specs of dirt anywhere in the room. At the center of the room was a long white glass Queen Anne table that could seat twenty people. Its matching set of twenty pristine white Queen Anne chairs with cerulean cushions surrounded it. And hanging above the table, located at the center, was a crystallized chandelier that might have caused a few billion Euros. It didn't look expensive because it was crystallized. It was due to the real diamonds dangling from it. It was truly a sight to behold. When one walk through the double doors, the silver marble floor would sparkle while the diamonds would reflect off the lights all over the room. It was no wonder the room was dubbed as the silver room. The floor to ceiling windows allowed the sun to bathe the room with its warmth and light. And hanging on the walls were several paintings of the sky, the last supper, and angels garbed in their fantastic gowns.

These details, however, were lost on a cranky teenager and her brother as they walked into the room with hairs sticking out in various places and with unsatisfied scowls on their faces. Both dragged their feet on the floor and plopped on the chair without any greeting to the people in the room. The three previous occupants of the room just watched them with amusement glittering in their eyes. Once seated, their drowsy eyes just stared at their plate uninterestingly.

Bankotsu had his mouth open, ready to make a comment, but when he saw the glare aimed his way by Kikyo, his mouth instantly closed with a snap. "Shut up," came her clipped voice. The girl was still obviously agitated by being awake so early in the morning. And it was this time of day that the twins could be quite easily separated, seeing as their attitudes in the morning were completely different. Obviously, Kagome was the morning person as she ate her breakfast with a happy glitter in her eyes while Kikyo was the complete opposite. Irritated by her happy glow, Kikyo could not help but send a few well-aimed glares at her younger twin.

Amused by Kikyo's actions, Higurashi-san and Bankotsu tried their hardest not to laugh lest they turn her wrath on them on accident. Seeing as both of them were still trying to get themselves out of her hit list. And unlike his older sister, Souta just ate his breakfast in a daze, ignoring everyone around him. He was a bit more accepting of the fact that there were actually people who loved waking up early in the morning.

"Kikyo, my dear," started Higurashi-san. He almost stopped talking when he saw that the glare had a new target, him. Quietly gulping, he continued, "you best be hurry and dress quickly." Looking at his watch, he added, "it is almost time for us to go." He turned to his only grandson, "you as well, Souta."

Kikyo frowned but nodded her head in understanding while Souta just grunted his reply, continuing to attack his sausages. Higurashi-san could only shake his head at his grandchildren.

Seeing the exchange between the three of her relative, Kagome laid a comforting hand on her grandfather's arm that was closest to her. He turned at Kagome, who sent him a reassuring smile before taking her hand back. Somehow her smile caused him to forget about his other two grandchildren.

Finished with her breakfast, Kagome folded her tissue and set it on the table. "May I be excused?" she asked politely.

Her grandfather only waved his hand at her request. She took that as her cue to leave the table and take her plate to the kitchen, where a maid would wash them. She would have washed them herself, but the last time she had tried, she was kicked out of the kitchen by the chef and those who worked there with the threat of not being able to eat brownies for a month. It was safe to say that she never tried to wash the dishes again. "Good morning, everyone!" she greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, young miss!" they beamed with the same smile.

One of the maids took the plate and cup from her, "thank you."

"No problem, young miss." She beamed.

Knowing that her brother and Kikyo would not be done getting ready for another hour, she decided to walk out the back door to get some fresh air and a bit of relaxation before they get thrown to the dogs in a few hours. The gentle breeze caressed her softly causing her eyes to flutter close. The warmth of the day embraced her. Upon opening her eyes, she saw an old friend causing a soft smile to blossom on her face. It was the Goshinboku, the tallest tree in their backyard located near the garden. She walked towards it and sat under its shade. It was under its shade that she felt the most tranquil and safe. It didn't matter how hectic or dangerous her life turned, just being under its protective branches always calmed her and made her feel like she could accomplish almost anything in the world. Though it was just a tree to anyone else, to Kagome, it was the oldest and the most constant friend in her life that gave her comfort and support by the way its leaves would rustle in comfort.

Once seated, she leaned on its bark while closing her eyes in relaxation, letting the tree's comforting presence envelop her very being. And for that moment, she felt separated from the world and no troubles existed. There was no past, just her in the comfort of an old friend. Peace. Calm. Serenity. Nothing could disturb her in that moment.

The chirping of a blue jay on one of the tree's branches made her smile. It was as though the mall bird was greeting her that early morning and helping to sooth her. _Hmm…it has been a while, hasn't it, old friend? _She thought, thinking of the tree that was supporting her back. Its leaves rustled as though in answer to her statement. Another smile bloomed on her face. _Though I fear that you shall be witnessing more horror soon, _her smile disappeared. It was replaced by a frown, her thoughts drifting to the upcoming chaos that was inevitably coming. The tree's leaves rustled again, though a bit harder this time as though in protest of what was on Kagome's mind. _You are quite right. I should not worry of that at this moment. _

"Talking to trees again, I see," a voice interrupted.

Kagome cracked an eye open and surveyed the owner of the voice before shutting it once more, "and you are finally dress," she said nonchalantly, "finally," she muttered, hoping that she didn't hear.

"I heard that," there goes her hopes.

"Hn."

Before the two girls could continue their banter, their grandfather's call of, "let's go, you two!" caused them to stop their childish banter just so they could rush to the limousine waiting for them. They may not be looking forward to being fed to the sharks, but it would not do them any good if they turned up late or not at all.

* * *

"Tell me again why we needed to be awake this early in the morning on a Saturday," grumbled Kouga, very agitated at being woken up from his much-needed sleep.

Kouga and his friends had slept in their room at the headquarters the night before due to the elders' request. And early that morning they found themselves rolled out of bed by Akuma-san. It had been a very rude awakening. And Akuma-san had made sure to be out of the room before any sharp objects made their way towards his person. He still could not understand why he was the one chosen to wake the grumpy teens, who all loved their sleep far too much. Even Sesshomaru was not the cheeriest person to wake!

"Because the Higurashi press conference is taking place in a few minutes," answered Akuma-san, arms crossed as he stood far away from the two couches that the teenagers were occupying.

The group of teens and elders were currently lounging on the various couches and loveseats in the elders' common room. The common room was located in the middle of the four studies that belonged to each elder. It was a very pristine room with two onyx couches and four loveseats and a mahogany coffee table. On its walls were paintings of the elders wearing their uniforms. Another painting was of the Higurashi family and the rest were what Sango and her friends could only assume as every female with the Higurashi bloodline. It had been a shock that so far there had only been two before, and now the addition of Kikyo and Kagome's photographs were on the wall as well. They were the newest addition. Both of the paintings still looked brand new from the quality of the colors. Aside from the paintings, there was also a bookshelf in the room that was filled to the brim with books that range from medical texts to history books. Directly in front of the couches was a hundred inches plasma screen TV, which took up almost the whole wall.

All of the teens in the room were still bleary-eyed and adorning bad cases of bed-head. And all of them were still wearing their rumpled pajamas as they sat on their seats with eyes trained at the TV. The adults in the room had only shaken their heads when they had seen their appearances upon entering the room. But they couldn't really blame them because they had been up really late last night from a small mission. Thoughts of the mission from last night brought back memories of what had transpired yesterday morning, and that Kaede needed to inform them about it.

"This early in the morning?" grumbled Inuyasha, head resting on the arm of the couch while Sesshomaru's head rested on his back. It was only around this time of the morning that Sesshomaru's mask would fall. And he would let his warmer—if one would call it that—side show.

"Shut up," groused Sesshomaru, annoyed that his pillow was moving. Inuyasha didn't even raise his head to glare at his brother due to lack of energy.

The next thing that the two boys know, two pillows had hit them square on the face. But despite being hit, the two young men remained motionless without any protest. A fact that the adults did not miss to take note off, for if it were any other time, the perpetrators would have been chewed out by the Takahashi brothers.

"Shut your traps!" snapped Rin and Sango. It was also at this time that the sweet and kindhearted Rin would transform into her cranky and murderous self.

The two boys grunted.

"Now, now, kids," patronized Akuma-san, only to stop mid-sentence due to the seven deadly glares directed at him. He was smart enough to not continue his sentence. Instead, he looked at he three other adults, who had more powers over the teens, only to receive looks of amusement from them. _These old geezers, _he thought with disdain, _no wonder these kids act the way they do. _He gave the other three adults a sidelong look filled with helplessness; _it's because of these three. _Thinking that he was the only mature one in the room, he sighed inwardly.

"Good morning, Japan!" resonated the cheery voice of the announcer, "today, we are proud to present the Higurashi family!" thunderous applauses filled the air as the various reporters in the room rose to their feet in welcome of the family.

* * *

The Higurashi family and Bankotsu walked towards the stage, which had a table with five chairs and microphones. While Higurashi-san was walking with a smile on his face, eyes crinkling in joy, the teens and preteen trailing behind him were walking like they were about to walk the planks of a pirate ship with fake smiles frozen on their faces. As they were walking towards the stage, the Higurashi family sans Higurashi-san and Bankotsu waved with fake enthusiasm to the crowd of reporters. They were also trying to not rub their eyes due to the blinding flashes that kept going off from the cameras that were all pointed at them. It was a wonder that they managed to reach their table without tripping or falling since their eyesight seemed to have blurred a little. "You blind yet?" joked Bankotsy once they were seated.

"Not quite," came the twins' synchronous reply. "Wait a little longer."

Higurashi-san laughed at his granddaughters and Bankotsu's dialogue. Once his laughter died down, he stood back up and raised an arm causing the room to be bathed in silence. "Good morning, ladies," he nodded to the women in the room, "gentlemen," he sat back down and crossed his arms. "We are ready for your questions."

"Now everyone," started the announcer, "please ask your questions one at a time since we do not want to overwhelm these young people," the camera zoomed in on the twins' faces who held identical uncomfortable smiles. But no one knew this or the fact that both were currently wishing to be somewhere else other than in the room filled with reporters, who were most likely worst than the Spanish inquisition.

Luckily for Kikyo, she had been to several press conferences unlike Kagome, who had only been to two. So she was more used to the media. _**Should we? **_Asked Kikyo, worried about her younger twin.

_**No, it is fine. After all, I saw what happened during these events through you, **_answered Kagome while sending her older twin sister a reassuring smile. Sometimes, Kikyo worry too much about her, which she felt guilty for because it made her think that Kikyo was putting too much effort on guarding her when it was suppose to be the other way around. Also, she felt as though her sister was not able to live her life like she was supposed to because of her. But whenever she voiced out her concerns, her sister would just retaliate that it was her—Kagome—who was getting the short end of the stick.

_**Very well, **_she sighed inwardly before smiling when she felt Kagome squeezing her hand to assuage her worry. Glancing at her sister, whose eyes glittered in joy and who faced the crowd with renewed determination after letting out a deep breath, she could not help but feel reassured that everything was going to be okay. It was amazing to see how much courage her sister had, and she could only hope that she could be as strong and confident as her.

_**You are. **_

She smiled.

As they sat waiting for the announcer to finish telling the reporters about the rules of the press conference, the twins could not help but hear everyone's confused murmur of which of them was Kagome and which was Kikyo. The thought that even to this day, there were still many people that were unable to tell them apart almost made them laugh at the hilarity of the situation. Though it would probably appear that they were a mental case.

"Um…" a stout reporter stood up shakily, nervous at being called first and the fact that all of the people in the panel had suddenly given their undivided attention on her. She adjusted her thick round glasses and looked at the twins, who had the friendliest faces on the panel. "May we know which one is Kagome-ojou-sama and Kikyo-ojou-sama?" she blinked, and they could have sworn that she was almost shaking in nervousness. "Just that there is no nametag!" she rushed to add, afraid that she might have overstepped some boundaries.

"Oh right! How silly of us!" One of the twins exclaimed while proceeding to slap her forehead and sending them a sheepish smile, "Of course you shall be needing these," she added, bending down and picking up something. Not a moment too long, she put a silver plaque in front of her with the words inscribed in it: **Higurashi Kagome**, "come on then, you must put your plaques as well, grandfather, _aneki_, Souta, Bankotsu," she commanded, looking at each of the aforementioned people respectively. Her family and friend could only smile and oblige her request. Once everyone's plaques were settled, she turned to the reporter, "we apologize for overlooking such detail." She bowed slightly and smiled apologetically causing the reporter to flush red in embarrassment from being given such respect by one of the children of the richest family in Asia.

"I-um-it's fine," replied the flustered reporter, cheeks flushing bright red. She adjusted her thick round glasses when it started slipping down her nose. "And yes, I do have one question. Who is the eldest?" She looked at the twins expectantly.

When Bankotsu and the Higurashi family heard the question, the three males shook their heads. _Oh boy, _they thought, glancing at the twins, who had instantly looked at each other. Silence descended the room as everyone looked at the panel and at the twins who seemed to be having a staring contest. "That would be me," came the reply from the twins.

Confusion became the dominant emotion in the room when they heard their answer, "huh?" they mouthed.

_**You? I thought we talked about this already? **_Kikyo raised her brow in amusement and in challenge at her sister's statement.

_**Yes, we have, **_Kagome smiled.

_**Last time we talked, I was the oldest. **_

_**Hmm…that may be true, but in all technicality…I am well older than you and—**_

—_**Oh? But according to our birth certificates, I was born three minutes before you. **_

Kagome could only sigh upon hearing the logic in her sister's words. _**I surrender. **_

_**As you should, **_came the obnoxious reply. The twins stared at each other and could not help but laugh inwardly.

"Pardon the confusion, but I am the eldest," clarified Kikyo, gesturing to her self and bowing at the reporters. _**So unfair, **_came Kagome's complaints.

_**Tch. Deal with it, little sister! **_Mocked Kikyo, but there was no bite to her words since there wasn't any seriousness in their little banter. It was just a matter of entertainment and just for the sake of arguing, a fact that everyone in the Higurashi household could never understand.

Sounds of paper rustling were heard as the reporters jutted down notes before raising their hands again to ask the next question. "You sir," Higurashi-san pointed at a lanky male reporter dressed in a black suit.

The aforementioned man stood up and cleared his throat as though what he was about to say was the most important thing in the world. "I'm sure that everyone wants to know about this," he cleared his throat again. "Who exactly is the heir of the Higurashi family? Not too long ago, it was thought to be Souta-ouji-sama, who was also thought to be the sole successor." He sent an accusatory look at the family in front of them as though they had done something that would constitute as a crime and they should be put in prison immediately. "But then Kagome-oujo-sama appeared and was pronounced the heiress." He paused dramatically while looking around the room and gesturing towards Kagome. "But wait!" He pointed his index finger upward, "Kikyo-oujo-sama appeared, another heiress," another look was sent at the family. "And now that we know she is the eldest…does that mean _she _is the heiress?" If he wore glasses, everyone was sure that he would be looking at the Higurashi family with them slid down his nose.

* * *

"And that is the reason why we must watch this press conference," informed Takahashi-san, gesturing at the TV.

When the words of the reporter left the TV's speakers, the teens instantly became wide-awake and gave their full attention at the television. All of them including the elders were the on edge of their seats as they waited for a reply with bated breath. For the answer that would come would answer the question of who the true heiress really was, and therefore, the identity of the wielder of the sword of divinity and the identity of the Phoenix would also be revealed. At least the latter were in the teenagers' thoughts since they had forgotten to report to the elders that the Phoenix was holding the sword of divinity when her mask had come off.

"That dude sure has a lot of guts," commented Kouga.

"I know," agreed Ayame.

"Talking like that to the most powerful family in the country," muttered Sango, disgusted by the reporter's tone of voice and accusatory glares.

"I wouldn't be surprise if he gets thrown out," said Inuyasha, crossing his arms.

"Or arrested," added Sesshomaru.

"Some people," murmured Rin, shaking her head.

The elders had to stop themselves from laughing at the comment that they were making. Clearly, all of them had too much imagination and did not know the Higurashi family well. From what they were saying, it seemed like all the teens had only been paying attention to the tabloids and rumors about the Higurashi family that said how strict and serious they were. When in truth, they may be strict, but when it came to their wealth, they were the most generous and approachable influential family in existence. The adults would not even be surprise if the Higurashi family were finding the man humorous.

* * *

As soon as the questions left the reporter's mouth, his fellow reporters in the room and the announcer stared at him in disbelief. Not because of the question he asked, but the way he had asked it and the tone of voice he had used. They were now waiting to see how the honorable family was going to respond to such an act. But before any member of the family could answer, the reporter opened his mouth again with much bravado, "and what other secrets are the Higurashi family hiding from the public? Are you sure these kids are the only successors in your family or should we wait for more?"

Those in the panel shared a look of amusement at the sudden shift in the room's atmosphere from a bit lax to uneasy. They were sure that everyone sans them were thinking that they were going to somehow punish them all from the stupidity of one reporter. "Well?" prompted the reporter as he stared down the Higurashi family, somehow thinking that he had them.

"Gramps, you'll be more capable of handling this one," said Souta as he, his sisters, and Bankotsu looked at the head of the Higurashi family.

"So it seems," agreed Higurashi-san, taking away the spotlight from the twins. He got two grateful smiles in return. "As you know, Souta-kun's pretense as the heir was in hopes of protecting the true heir of the family. And in his own right, he is also the heir, but only if his sisters would step down." A pause. After drinking some water and glancing at the twins, he continued, "As for why the twins' existence was hidden from the public, it was to protect them from unneeded attention. For example, this is not known by most, but there was a threat to the twins even before they were born, and that was the main reason that they were hidden away and raised away from their family. But now that they are both grown up, we see that they are more than ready to face their responsibilities and we could not hide them any longer." He looked at his granddaughters adoringly. They smiled. As he turned back to his audience, Kagome and Kikyo's attention never wavered from him. "And for the existence of other successors, these young women and young man before you are the only ones left who carry the Higurashi bloodline." He proudly gestured at his grandchildren. "And you shall have to ask them next about any other successors," he winked at the room causing the reporters to chuckle while the young generation flushed in embarrassment. "The secrets of the Higurashi family? The public has no business to them if we do have more of them," his whole countenance changed. And the strict businessman took over, the warm grandfather figure completely gone. His brown eyes bore into the reporter's shrinking figure. "My family may be a public figure, but like every family, we are still entitled to our own secrets to protect those within our family." The paused enunciated the seriousness of his statement. "Are we not?" though it was said quietly, it were still the most intimidating thing they had ever heard from him that day.

"And finally, to answer who the current heiress is," the pause that followed was stifling as those watching the press conference at home and those in the room waited with bated breath. "It is no other than these two lovely young women," he continued, motioning to the twins, who looked aloof and poised on the outside, but were actually extremely flustered by all the attention on them at that moment.

"Pardon me, sir, but what do you mean?" asked another reporter, raising his hand in politeness. "Two heiresses?"

Undaunted, Higurashi-san proceeded, "why yes, gentlemen," he reassured. "Though both can handle the job of being the heiress singlehandedly, both had agreed to share the title." The smile he sent at the twins was full of love and adoration. It was a rarity that those in-line for something does not resent the competition, and it was even more rare to share it. "And though both of them are the heiresses, each of them has their own role within the family. Ladies," he motioned for the girls to take over the explanation.

Both girls nodded. "I, Higurashi Kagome, have been assigned the duty to be the face of the family and to preside over the family business." A dazzling smile was sent at everyone in the room, "It is the reason as to why I had arrived earlier than my sister."

"And I, Higurashi Kikyo, have been entrusted with the rest of the family affairs along with my late mother's previous duties."

* * *

"So it's her," chorused the occupants of the common room.

_Another cover, _thought Tsuki-san, her eyes not straying from Kagome's smiling face. _So it is the opposite. _She glanced at Kikyo's serious face before returning to the younger girl's. _Y__ou are the true heiress, and your sister is your protector as she acts as your double, _she looked at Kikyo again. _A very smart plan, I might say, but it is risky, _her thoughts went back to the time when the Phoenix's identity was almost compromised, and Kagome somehow managed to be in two places at once. Tsuki-san could not help but smile as she managed to unravel one truth. _Though I know this, I wouldn't tell anyone as my loyalty lies with you, and I can't betray my promise and your trust. _She gave everyone in the room a sidelong glance, thinking of the great secret that she held within her. _I'm sorry everyone, but this is the will of the princess and the heiress. _She turned back on the television as it zoomed in on the twins' faces. First at Kagome, _all that is left now is the identity of the princess, _and then at Kikyo. Tsuki-san's eyes narrowed as she stared at Kikyo's face with scrutiny, _could you be…impossible! _She shook her head to dismiss the idea. _It can't be that easy…but there is the possibility that she might just be. Hmm…_

"Lady Kaede, is there something wrong?" asked Takuma-san, looking at his colleague in concern.

"No," replied Tsuki-san, "everything is as it should be," came her mysterious reply. A smile lighted her face as she turned around and walked towards her office. "Continue to watch over both girls. Double Kagome-ojou-sama's protection," she ordered, her back remaining to them. "Meet up in the afternoon for a meeting." With that said, she went into her office and shut the door.

"Higurashi Kagome's?" they questioningly echoed. "But…"

"No," interrupted Sango, "I understand her line of thought. It is only logical to protect the younger one because the older one is very capable of protecting herself even without our protection."

The other teens suddenly understood Sango's hidden message, "you're right."

The three adult males in the room looked at one another, lost at what had just transpired in the last few minutes. Somehow, the three of them had been left behind in darkness at what was happening. "This facility needs to work on its communication issues," muttered Akuma-san, a statement that the other two elders wholeheartedly agreed on.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm going to get breakfast!" announced Inuyasha, suddenly rejuvenated at the thought of food. His friends and brother murmured in a greement as they left the room for the cafeteria, all of them hoping that there were still food left.

Later that afternoon, the young ISN spies were once again gathered in the elder's common room. This time in a much chipper mood compared to early that morning. "Good. Everyone's here," said Tsuki-san, looking at the faces of the young agents. She was the one presiding the meeting that afternoon while the other three prepared guards for the Higurashi twins.

"Oi, why are we here again?" demanded Inuyasha, his impatience getting the better of him. It also did not heighten his mood when he remembered what it was that had caused him to sleep restlessly the night before during breakfast.

"If you will stop talking, we will get done much faster," replied Tsuki-san, aggravated by the youngster's foul mood. _Honestly, we were so much more respectful when we were kids compared to the kids nowadays, _she could not help but think bitterly, wishing that she did not have to deal with them at that moment.

Inuyasha scowled and crossed his arms like a petulant child. Though he did not really want to, he still obliged her request in hopes of being able to leave the room as soon as possible. The confusion that his recent reoccurring dreams brought with them was causing him to be in sour mood. And the fact that he was not able to see Kagome that day only added wood to the fire.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," she gave a pointed look at Inuyasha, which the half-demon scoffed at. "The reason for this meeting was to let you guys know what had happened here yesterday morning."

Detecting the seriousness in Tsuki-san's voice, the teens straightened on their seat as they focused their complete attention on her. Even Inuyasha stopped acting like a petulant child who did not get their way as he uncrossed his arms while the scowl on his face was replaced by a look of concentration. When he heard the words 'yesterday morning,' he could not understand why his thoughts instantly flashed to Kagome's hasty exit that same day.

"While all of you were in class, we received a very distressing news from our sources. It turned out that a group of ten children had gone missing. Imagine our shock when we found traces of a chimera's work at the last places that the children were seen," recalled Tsuki-san. The calm manner in which she was telling the tale brought confusion in her agents' thoughts. As she continued, they could not help but feel the worry and anxiety that rose within them at the words that were pouring out of Tsuki-san's mouth. It caused them to be even more distressed when they heard that it was the work of a Chimera, but before they could interrupt her, she continued as though she was merely talking about the weather. And this calm demeanor did not sit well with them. "And since all of you were currently in class along with the other agents your age, we couldn't really do anything but wait until all of you get out of class. It did not help that a disturbance in the balance of the flow of the earth's energy occurred. We were in the middle of just pulling all of you out of class when suddenly, chaos ensured at the infirmary and in the middle of all the chaos was no other than the Phoenix and the ten missing children!"

_That explains why she was so calm, _thought Ayame, erasing her thoughts of Tsuki-san being an insensitive old hag who did not care much about what could have happened to those children. Her friends had been following the same line of thought.

"The children were fine, of course." They released a sigh of relief. "No remaining sign that they had been kidnapped at all except for the fact that they were unconscious." She paused, her thoughts lingering on how the Phoenix had looked—dirty, bloodied, and tired. Yet the Phoenix was still smiling as she looked at the children. "The Phoenix…" she trailed off, eyes staring at something that they could not see.

Their thoughts sans Tsuki-san instantly flashed to Kikyo's face earlier that morning.

"What of the Phoenix?" asked Ayame, noticing Tsuki-san's clenched fist and the worry lines that appeared on her face.

As though she had been woken out of her stupor, her head snapped at Ayame's direction with a startled look. "She has been injured badly from what I have seen," she continued, brows furrowing in confusion. Her thoughts trailing to how Kagome had looked during the press conference. She had seemed fine, but she could tell that the movement of her body was still a bit stiff. "And yet, she did not wait for our doctors and healers to help her before she disappeared."

…_followed Kagome's hurried exit with their eyes. _

Kagome?_ Thought Inuyasha with worried eyes, the sound of the book closing had startled him out of his thoughts._

"_Don't," said a voice that was filled with authority. Inuyasha looked up and saw that it had been Bankotsu who had spoken._

"_Don't bother her," said Kikyo in a clipped tone, going back to reading her book._

_Kikyo's eyes widened for a fraction and she looked outside. She smiled and raised her hand. _

"_Yes, Higurashi-san?" asked the teacher. _

"_My sister came down with a harsh headache and had gone home to rest," she informed her teacher. _

_The teacher became overcome with worry, "is she going to be fine?" she worried. _

"_Yes, if everything turns out fine, then she should be back for the afternoon classes," she assuaged._

_Inuyasha's head snapped to the sky outside, a sense of worry suddenly consuming him, _Kagome_, he suddenly thought. He grew even more anxious as his eyes landed on the empty desk in front of him though he had no idea why he was feeling so anxious about the younger Higurashi twin. _

_Several eyes snapped to Bankotsu's direction as he let out a pain-filled gasped, his hand clutched his right side, "Kagome," he gasped out, his eyes clinched in pain. _

_With one last painful gasp, he straightened on his seat and nodded at the teacher in reassurance, but his eyes locked with Kikyo's._

"_How could you do something that reckless?" screamed Kikyo, her aloof composition gone and was replaced by an almost rabid person. _

"_Higurashi," murmured Inuyasha, looking at the girl in front of him. _

_She turned and looked at him with searching eyes. "Yes?" _

"_Are you alright?" he searched her with his eyes for any sign of injury, his eyes landing on her right side. He had noticed that there was an imbalance in Kagome's movement earlier; it wasn't as graceful as normal and he had seen her tensing whenever she turned. _

_Her brows furrowed, "yes, why do you ask?" she questioned, confused by Inuyasha's concern. _

"_How's your head?" _

_She looked confused. "You had a headache this morning, didn't you?" he questioned, eyes narrowing in suspicion. _

_Her eyes widened in realization, "Oh!" _

"_Yes, headache…" she giggled. _

_She can't be, _thought Inuyasha, as those memories floated in his mind. _It's impossible! We just confirmed that Kikyo was the Phoenix! _

"Tsuki-san?" started Sango, her brows furrowed in thought. Tsuki-san looked at her. "What time did this take place?"

"I assume the fight and rescue took place around morning. Although we don't know what time exactly."

"What about the time the Phoenix disappeared?"

"Probably around lunch time at your school." She looked at Sango, confused. "Why?"

"Nothing." _How could that be? Kikyo was in class the whole morning and she was at the cafeteria during lunch, _she thought.

"Very well, that is all I wanted to tell all of you," concluded Tsuki-san, unbeknownst that she had given some clues to Sango. "You are now dismiss."

They all filed out of the room. Inuyasha and Sango both deep in thought at the many pieces they suddenly found floating in their minds. Ayame and the rest were just grateful that nothing bad had happened to the children, they were still happy that they got one answer to their many question. The identity of the Phoenix.

"I'll see you guys later!" called out Sango, racing out of the hallway and into her room at the headquarters, where she planned to lock herself in to think about what has just been thrown at her. And the book that laid on top of her bedside table, waiting for her arrival.

As soon as she arrived at her room, she slammed the door close and flopped on her bed. Her brown eyes trailing the patterns on her ceiling as she lied on her bed in thought. _Kikyo can't possibly be the Phoenix if the Phoenix has been out and about yesterday morning!_ Her thoughts traveled to Kagome and her disappearance. _No way! _She bolted upright. _Impossible! Kagome…the Phoenix? _She flopped back onto her back, the bedspring on her mattress groaning in protest. "But there is no other explanation…" she murmured out loud. Her eyes landed on the innocent book on her bedside table. As though calling out to her, her hands reached for it. Once it was safely in her hand, she sat up and carefully opened the cover of the book.

**Shikon: A Princess's Gem ** by Higurashi Midoriko

"What the crap?" she exclaimed, seeing who had written the book.

Beneath the title was a picture of a young child, slumbering peacefully as she lied on a soft cloud.

She opened the next page with bated breath, her hands almost shaking at the prospect of finally finding some clue to what has been happening lately. And why a gem was so important and how it connected to the Princess that they were supposed to guard. Once she flipped the page, disappointment grew within her for the page was blanked. Along with disappointment, aggravation grew along with annoyance at Higurashi Kagome. The reason for these feelings were, "This book is nothing but empty pages!" she yelled in frustration. The picture of the baby on the very first page suddenly appeared in her mind's eye. _Angels, _she thought. She did not particularly know why that thought appeared, but somehow, somewhere inside of her said that it was important. "Angels," she voiced out.

She almost jumped at the sudden warmth that she felt in her hands. Looking down, she was even more surprised to see that the book was glowing. Slowly and deliberately, she laid the book on her bed and watched as invisible hands flipped the pages. Her eyes widened when texts began writing itself on the blank page. The script was elegant and clean as she watched the words appear one by one.

_**Do you believe in Angels? **_

_**A long time ago before man and demons and other mortal beings existed, a group of heavenly beings gathered. All of them excited of what were to come the following day. For the world that they created would be cared for by the beings they create. The land will no longer be lonely and quiet. For the following day, the earth would finally see her inhabitants, who will fill her with joy and happiness. And would care for her like they could never truly do. **_

_**The next day, as the sun rose in the early sky, birds began to chirp as humans, demons, elves, mages, spiritual holders opened their eyes for the very first time. For the first few millennium, they all lived in harmony as they populated the earth. But a time came when darkness grew in the hearts of the earth's occupants and the belief in the heavenly beings slowly disappeared. War and famine broke out as the inhabitants of the earth grew envious, greedy, and filled with malice. And factions came about. Two sides were created. Those enveloped in darkness and those who still held hopes and goodness consuming their hearts. **_

_**The heavenly beings grew sad as they watched their creations fight with one another and filled the earth with darkness. The shadows that started to envelop the lovely paradise that they had created started to blur their vision. As time went on and the war between the two sides continued, the heavenly beings began to lose their hope on their creation. **_

_**Until one day, they called up a meeting to decide the fate of the earth's inhabitant. That day, with heaviness in their hearts, it was decided that the extermination was to begin, but before it was executed, a young angel pleaded that they reconsider. Her name was Kaguya, the Angel who was closest to their creation for she was the Queen of the Moon. She was the named guardian of the Earth. Therefore, she was also the leaders of the Angels. As she pleaded for another chance, the other angels followed her example and beg for the lives of their creation who remained pure. **_

_**She still had hopes for them. They agreed that extermination was not a good plan, and so that plan was left behind. **_

_**Years continued, and they saw no change. **_

_**On the moon, the Angels weep, but no one as much as Kaguya did. Every day, she watched the beings of earth, and watch as they suffer. She wept for them. And hoped that they would be saved. Finally, those who resided in heaven could no longer watch as those with pure hearts and goodness in their soul suffered. And so, on a night that was much too quiet. Kaguya and her angels cried out for a miracle. They prayed and prayed, and their prayer was answered the following day. **_

_**As Kaguya awoke from her mediation, two beautiful babies lied asleep in their bassinet. Her cerulean eyes surveyed the room, only to see every angels and heavenly beings present in the room. "Their savior," they whispered. **_

_**Destiny stood and with a wave of his hand, the clouds parted and through it they saw a family. A family who held the purest soul in existence, and a young child playing in the garden and singing happily, "I assume you know what to do." His eyes met those of Kaguya. The leader of the Angels nodded. She took one of the babies and held her in her arms. **_

"_**She must be protected," added Fate, her eyes traveling from the baby in Kaguya's arms and to the other baby whom Destiny carried in his. Her eyes lingered on that child, "and her twin would just be that." **_

That was the end of the writing. Sango waited for a few more minutes, but when nothing else appeared, she sighed. Deciding that that was all she was going to get, she set the book aside and continued to muse about what she had just read. She took a deep breath and walked out of her room, her door closing softly.

* * *

A knock resounded in the room, "come in!" came Kagome's muffled voice.

The door swung open and Bankotsu strolled into the room. He was met with the sight of Kagome sprawled on her bed in her pajamas. He quirked his brow, "ready for bed already?" his eyes trailed at her alarm clock, "hmm…three in the afternoon."

"You are the brightest," she mocked, sitting up on her bed. "Is that for me?" her brown eyes trained on the apple in Bankotsu's hand. He did not reply. She caught the apple when he threw it at her. Taking a bite from the apple, she watched through the corners of her eyes as he flopped down on her bed causing both of them to bounce a little.

Silence covered the room.

"You are worried." It was a statement, not a question.

He glanced at her, "a little."

She smiled. "You lie."

"Fine, I am worried quite terribly. So worried in fact that my heart feels as though it is being squeeze far too hard. So worried that sometimes it seems like my lungs have deserted me," his brown eyes looking at nothing, but seeing everything.

Her smile had long disappeared, and a deep ache in her chest replaced it. It pained her to see him so worried, and even more so when she remembered that she had always been the cause of his worries. Feeling remorseful, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. The half-eaten apple laid forgotten on the bedside table as she scooted closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

He squeezed her hand in return. "You don't have to apologize," he whispered, knowing exactly what she was thinking. He kissed her head in reassurance before laying his head on top of hers. "You tell me or not. You involve me or not. I will always worry about you," his hands let go of hers, so he could embrace her. "For it comes with the job." A soft smile settled on his lips. "And no matter how worried I get, nothing beats the worry that always reside deep within your heart."

"And since when have you been so full of wisdom?" she teased, her eyes closing as she let Bankotsu's words comfort her.

He frowned, "I have always been full of wisdom, darling." A teasing glint appeared in his eyes.

She laughed.

His frown deepened, "I find your laughter insulting."

"It is meant to," her eyes wide with innocence as she looked at up at him.

"You are far from innocent."

She did not answer. Instead she lied on her bed with her head on his lap, her long raven hair cascading down until it reached the floor. Brown eyes filled with sudden seriousness, she commenced with the real reason that he showed up. "Kaguya came."

She was not surprise when he remained calm and when he replied, "I felt her."

"Yes, of course," she agreed, "and yet, you did not come to meet her."

He sighed, "It was not I whom she was seeking."

She sighed, feeling saddened by that statement, "but you have a right to see her as well." With her eyes closed, she continued with her thoughts, "I abhor these rules that we must follow."

As he ran his fingers through her silky hair, Bankotsu could only murmur his agreement.

"She misses you as well." She paused. An eye opening and peeking up at him, "I saw it in her eyes."

Smiling softly at the young girl, he nodded in reassurance, "and I felt her presence near me before she disappeared."

"Good."

He had to stop himself from laughing at her snotty act. Especially when her nose scrunched up cutely. He was sure that she was thinking that Kaguya does not see them enough. Seeing this attitude caused him to be overpowered by a sense of déjà vu. _**You have not changed. **_

_**You as well. **_

He smiled smugly. "Don't think I don't know what you have been doing."

"As expected of you."

His smile widened in mirth. "What's your decision?"

"Must you ask a question you already know the answer to?" she retorted, sitting up and walking towards her balcony.

"Touché." That was the end of their conversation as he left her to her musings. He will know of them later on as she would surely tell him. With that thought, he existed her room and ran into her whose face was of Kagome's.

She stared into his eyes, seeking for an answer. A smile bloomed on her lips at the answer she found, "nice talk, I assume?"

"Great," he answered. There was a bounce to his steps as he continued out the door. The door softly closing behind him, "care for a stroll in the garden, Kikyo, love?"

"That great, huh?" she smiled and took his offered hand. _**I hope he didn't annoy you too much. **_"How's her side?"

_**Do not worry. He was an absolute charmer, **_Kagome reassured. _**Far from annoying. I was quite shock, actually. **_The two girls shared a laugh. _**Kikyo? **_She called, her countenance changing.

"Not completely healed, but manageable," Bankotsu answered.

_**Yes? **_

_**Did you? **_

_**Yes, one. **_

_**I see. **_

_**Sorry. **_

_**There is no need. I understand that it must be done. **_

_**Don't worry. I'm sure, it will push through. **_

Kagome smiled as she looked at up at the sky. Her thoughts traveling to a certain young man, who had already charmed his way into her heart without him knowing, _**I worry not. **_

"That's good," she commented.

"Yeah, it helps that we share the pain."

"I wish I could too."

"There's no need. Now continue your conversation with your twin." He could only smile at the irony of that statement. Kikyo smiled too. _How did our lives get this confusing? _He wondered.

_**You should go inside, **_suggested Kikyo when she sensed Kagome's shiver.

With one last look at the cloudy sky, Kagome obliged her sister's request. When she closed her balcony door, the first snowflakes began to fall. Picking up the forgotten apple, she threw it in the trash and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window. Her eyes found the forms of her sister and Bankotsu as they strolled in the garden, _have fun, _she thought. Her hand left its spot on the window.

* * *

Inuyasha touched his window as he watched the snowflakes fall outside. The snow began to cover the outside world with its white blanket. As he watched them fall, Inuyasha was reminded that Christmas was fast approaching, and yet, he could not bring himself to smile. Remembering Christmas was just another reminder of his dreams the night before. A dream that felt so vivid and real.

_A giggle that sounded like tinkling of bells resounded through the clearing as he walked. He looked around, trying to find its owner. When he could not, a small frown appeared. He had been looking for her for quite a while now, and yet, his search has remained fruitless. It was unfair! If it were anyone else, he would have easily found him or her due to his nose. But the person he was looking for held an advantage because she had no scent. Or at least, she could hide her scent from anyone she wanted. "You know this isn't fair!" he called out. Though he was a bit annoyed that he was being outsmarted, he was still unable to stop himself from smiling. _

"_Lighten up Inuyasha!" called her chime-like voice, followed by a giggle. Even the fact that she had just spoken would not aid him in finding her because she used another one of her abilities and made it sound like her voice was coming from everywhere. "It is only fair that I am able to hide my scent!" She laughed. It was true because if she were not able to, then he would have an advantage due to his nose. _

"_Feh!" _

_Another giggle. _

_He continued his search with growing annoyance. She had never been this stubborn before whenever they played this little game of hers. In fact, she had never been able to hold out this long against him. She normally revealed herself to him within ten minutes of him not being able to find her. But that day, he had been searching for her for almost an hour, and she has not revealed her hiding place. Walking in silence and looking at every which way, he tried to concentrate on her presence. _

_The silence was interrupted when he screamed in surprise as something really cold hit his head. Snow dropped on his shoulder while some mixed with his silver hair. His ears twitching incessantly from the sudden cold, "wench!" he growled out playfully as he turned behind him, where he knew she would be. _

_Her soft and joyful laughter filled his ears, and when he finally saw her, his breath hitched in his throat. Before him was a vision that could only be described as a goddess. Her long raven hair cascaded on her back and her enthralling azure eyes with hints of silver sparkled in mirth. There seemed to be a soft glow that surrounded her as she stood before him. Slowly, as though trying to not startle her into running away, Inuyasha walked towards her. Deep adoration and love filling his very being, "found you," he whispered, his clawed hands enveloping her smaller ones. _

_She nodded with a soft smile. "Want a price?" she softly uttered, knowing exactly what he wanted. _

_He smiled adoringly at her causing her heart to skip a beat. His amber eyes stared gently at her. In all the days he spent with her, he was still baffled at why such a pure person chose him above anyone else when she could have anyone else. Her mere presence always calmed him no matter the situation, and though he would not admit it to anyone but her. She was his sole weakness, and if anything were to happen to her, he would not know what to do with himself. And he would surely enter a deep bout of depression. She was the holder of his heart and she would remain so until his last breath. And when she lent against him, he could not help how his heart swelled. _

"_Inuyasha?" her voice broke into his thoughts. _

"_Hmm?" he murmured, his hands surrounding her as he burrowed his face into her hair and smelling her wondrous scent. _

"_Where did your thoughts lead you?" she asked, curiosity filling every nuance of her voice. _

"_You," he answered. His hold on her tightened, "and how much I love you." _

_He felt her small arms tighten around him. It was enough to let him know what she was thinking that she did not even have to say what she said next, "I love you too." She looked up at him and he looked down at her. Their eyes meeting as they each saw how much they mean to one another with that single gaze, and with soft smiles on their lips, they lent closer and closer and closer until their lips met in a soft caress. It was sweet and gentle and lasted only for a second, but that kiss carried with it emotions that they could not explain with words. _

That was the end of his dream. And when he had been fully awake, he somehow could not recall her face. But when he thought back to the dream, he was reminded that the girl's face was somehow blurred. Only the color of her eyes and hair was visible. Aside from that, he did not know what she truly looked like. Though her voice sounded quite familiar. And it frustrated him more when he could not place where he had heard that voice before. Also, he could have sworn that he had seen those eyes before, but the question was where? Where had he seen those enthralling eyes before? And that voice! Where had he heard it before? They were like jingles of a soft melody that could never be truly forgotten. Always lingering in the back of one's mind.

As though it would help rid him of those thoughts, Inuyasha shook his head. The furrow of his brow only deepened when another girl replaced the girl in his dream. But this one, he knew very well. Though he knew her, she still was as mysterious as the girl that had recently appeared in his dreams. What more was that his demon half was refusing to say something. Though he had a feeling that that half of him knew more about what was going on. It was truly frustrating. Speaking of frustration, the mystery shrouding Kagome was gravely irritating him. Since her arrival, she had never left his thoughts. In fact, the more she remained in his life, the more she lingered in his thoughts. And he still could not forget their meeting on the roof.

Thoughts of Kagome led back to what had happened the day before and how she had disappeared for half the day. _You can't be, right? _He thought in desperation. _Your sister is the Phoenix, right? But why were you gone when the Phoenix appeared? _The couch sunk as he sank into its comfort. An image of how it looked like there was an imbalance in Kagome's walk that day appeared in his mind's eye. The frown on his face deepened. _Argh! This is too much! Why can't you tell me anything? All this questions and no answer. _He growled, annoyed at his thoughts.

"What's wrong with you?"

Inuyasha looked up, only to look back down, "oh, it's just you," sounding like he found the young man leaning on his doorframe as something unwanted.

"I'm hurt," Miroku exaggerated, hands settling on his left chest, over his heart.

Inuyasha gave him a dry look as Miroku settled on the couch next to him.

Sighing, Miroku settled comfortably on the couch while ignoring his friend's dismissing looks. "I repeat, what's wrong with you?"

He let out a long deep sigh, giving up his pretense of not wanting anyone to talk to. "Everything."

"This everything wouldn't be Kagome-san, would it?" Silence. "I see." Miroku nodded sagely, his fingers caressing his chin thoughtfully. It looked like he was running his fingers through his imaginary beard. "Tell me more about this Kagome-san." His whole mannerism screamed psychiatrist mode. With arms folded on his lap and looking at him with his full attention. His eyes saying that he was there for him, and his right hand holding an imaginary pen.

Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh, "quit it," he demanded.

Miroku dodged the pillow thrown his way. Raising his hands in surrender, he assured the half-demon, "okay, okay, I'm gonna stop." He cleared his throat and pretended to straighten his invisible tie. "But seriously, what's up?"

Inuyasha sighed, deciding that he might as well talk to his best friend, "did you find Higurashi's exit weird yesterday?"

"You mean, how she looked troubled and walked out of the room like she was being chased by a chimera?" Miroku asked. "And how her sister and that Bankotsu guy didn't even do anything?" he continued. Inuyasha could only nod. "Yeah, it was absolutely weird and especially that afternoon when Kikyo-san looked ready to tear her head off."

"Yeah, and that too!" Inuyasha straightened on the couch. "I mean, what did Higurashi do to cause her sister to lose her cool like that?" _It was really strange! _

"I don't know, Inuyasha," replied Miroku, looking as confuse as his friend, "but all I can tell you is that, something really weird is going around here. And it all revolves around the twins."

He stared at Miroku.

"And I wouldn't be surprise if the whole heiress thing and the princess is involved."

Inuyasha did not know why. But when Miroku mentioned the heiress, Kagome's image appeared, and at the mention of the princess, the blurred image of the girl in his dreams flashed before his eyes.

_

* * *

Time will reveal all, _thought the three beings standing on top of Tokyo Tower. One was the Phoenix, the other dressed like her except her clothes were red and gold, and the last was a young man with his raven hair tied in a braid. All of their hairs fluttered with the wind. Feathers, sparkling diamonds and scales falling softly from the sky along with the snow as they stood like quiet sentinels.

**AN: **Sorry for the confusion in the story, but it will clear up eventually! :D

Thanks for all those who'd reviewed. I really appreciate your reviews! ^.^ Hope you like this Chapter! Things are starting to unveil.


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